Epic Piping, one of the original portfolio companies created in 2014 by Baton Rouge-based private equity firm Bernhard Capital Partners, has announced plans to invest up to $40 million expanding its manufacturing facilities and administrative offices.
Though the company declines to say which of its pipe spool fabrication plants it will grow, it confirms the office space expansion will be in Baton Rouge, where the company is planning to acquire a new 24,000-square-foot office building. Corporate officials declined to say where the building is located until the sale closes, which is expected this week.
In a statement, Epic officials suggest the announcement of their expansion plans is intended to let customers know the company is able to meet the growing demand for its pipe spool products in the U.S. and abroad. That demand is being driven by the number of large-scale projects announced and underway in the petrochemical sector along the Gulf Coast.
The investment will increase the company’s global production footprint by more than 30%, and will enable Epic to produce larger diameters and heavier pipe fabrication, the company says. Its employee count, currently at 900, is expected to increase to more than 2,000.
“With enhanced capabilities to capture and execute significantly higher production volumes, we are continuing to build on the industry-leading manufacturing capacity, product quality, innovation and superior service we provide around the world,” says Epic CEO Remi Bonnecaze.
Epic operates three major fabrication facilities that, together, produce more than 20,000 pipe spools per month: a 268,000-square-foot facility in Livingston Parish, 300,000 square foot facility in San Marcos, Texas, and 400,000 square-foot facility in the United Arab Emirates. Epic also owns a 60,000-square-foot facility on Choctaw Drive.
