National Manufacturing Day: Tyler Union and Manchester Tank help to restore essential services after Hurricane Helene

National Manufacturing Day is an annual awareness effort celebrated the first Friday of October to highlight the importance of modern manufacturing. This year, rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene underscores how crucial the industry is in restoring vital services. 

Across the southeast, Hurricane Helene's wind force and floodwaters destroyed basic infrastructure, including power and access to running water. Extensive repairs are in progress for the region's wastewater treatment plants, sewage systems and pipes that deliver drinking water. Tyler Union and Manchester Tank recently worked to quickly coordinate deliveries of critical materials to impacted communities. As a global leader in providing the infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, these efforts are a testament to McWane’s commitment to fulfilling essential human needs that ensure the well-being of our communities.

Upon learning about the damage to a 24" ductile iron waterline service in Asheville, North Carolina, Tyler Union swiftly sprang into action. In just three days, they gathered and delivered a supply of ductile iron fittings and restraints crucial for an emergency repair. The coordination of this effort was led by Tyler Union Territory Manager Hunter Reese and Tyler Union Regional Manager Greg Fuller.

A longtime customer from Ferguson Waterworks initially contacted the team because of severe damage to the Black Mountain Water Treatment Plant, one of three plants that serve nearly 100,000 Asheville residents. The Tyler Union team spent the weekend sourcing a freight company to deliver the supplies. Customer service entered the order first thing Monday morning, and shipping was able to gather the products and load them to the courier that same day. Thanks to the hard work of people across the facility, Tyler Union's products made it safely to Asheville Tuesday morning.

"It's great working for a company whose employees share the same values and strive to constantly deliver the highest quality customer service to our distributors and their customers, especially in difficult times such as these," Hunter said.

In Tennessee, a Manchester Tank employee saw a Facebook request from Unicoi County seeking donations for small propane tanks and shared it with Product Safety team member Gabe Womack. Together with Human Resources Generalist Jodi Hollins and Manchester Tank President Jordan de Lima, the team was able to approve and collect 15 propane tanks for donation quickly. The tanks are fueling generators and small cooking appliances for those without power.

"So many communities have been impacted by this storm and are in tremendous need of help. It feels great to work for a team who is eager to step in and make such a positive difference in the lives of those who have been affected," Gabe said.