56 SUPPLY HOUSE TIMES, July 2002 L et’s face it, when you think of plumbing pipe and fit- tings, high tech is not the first thing that comes to mind.  But while the pipe and fit- tings themselves are not exactly synonymous with high tech, the process   Charlotte   Pipe   and Foundry employs for manufactur- ing them is. “A company like ours might lead one to think of an old-line manu- facturer,” said Hooper Hardison, executive vice president for the Charlotte N.C.-based company. “But Charlotte Pipe is a forward thinking, 21st century company. We continually invest in technolo- gy, automation and e-business systems to produce superior prod- ucts and provide excellent service to our customers.” The nation’s leading maker of cast iron and plastic pipe and fit- tings, Charlotte    Pipe    and Foundry is the only manufacturer that offers a system of cast iron, PVC,   CPVC,  ABS  and  Flow- Guard® Gold™ pipe and fittings for residential and commercial plumbing systems and industrial applications. “After 100 years, we are still a privately owned family company,” Hardison said. “Private ownership means we can make decisions based on what’s best long-term for the company and our employees, not for the quarterly earnings report or P/E ra- tio.  Investments in technology are just one example of that philosophy.” These investments have made Charlotte Pipe’s plants among the most modern of their type in the world.  The company con- tinues to add the latest machinery, technology and automation to its manufacturing processes through capital reinvestments.  Production at each plant is completely automat- ed,   with   programmable   logic controller (PLC)-operated ma- chines   and   tools. In   house maintenance and tool-and-die spe- cialists help eliminate downtime and keep the plants humming. And it’s not just the plants.  Char- lotte  Pipe  also  has  adopted  an e-business philosophy designed to provide customers with sales, prod- uct,   account  information  and transactional capabilities in the for- mat of their choice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. New information systems, pow- ered by SAP software, link order entry with inventory management and production scheduling, giving plant managers and customer service teams a wealth of information, in- cluding real-time inventory balances. As a result, plant scheduling and ob- taining information on shipments is much quicker and more customer friendly. Service reps use the software to check inventory, process the order, and within minutes, issue an electronic confirmation and an expected ship date.  Using bar codes and advanced computer equip- ment, orders are fulfilled and shipped Charlotte Pipe: You Can’t Beat The System Charlotte Pipe reinvests profits into new plant equipment and technology.