RS Technologies Inc. (RS), a portfolio company of Werklund Growth Fund L.P. and Energy Impact Partners L.P., on May 9 announced a new manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas to meet increasing demand for its industry-leading composite utility structure solutions. The 400,000 square foot facility and adjacent 8-acre storage yard will provide critical American-made products needed to support electric grid hardening.

The Houston-based facility will employ up to 350 manufacturing employees and 50+ additional professionals to design, engineer and manufacture the most sustainable high-performance composite poles, crossarms, and structures for the electric utility transmission and distribution sectors. The company’s products offer storm and fire resiliency and deliver lowest total life-cycle costs relative to traditional wood, steel or concrete products. RS products are delivering high reliability performance to over 460 utility customers across 28 countries in some of the most severe weather regions in the world. With the company’s deep materials science experience, RS is the only composite structure manufacturer using 100% polyurethane resin, enabling long life products and the elimination of scheduled maintenance.

“The enormous challenges impacting the electric utility industry require rapidly scalable solutions,” said George Kirby, CEO of RS. “Our expansion is fueled by immense global demand for resilient infrastructure while also supporting utility companies locally, such as CenterPoint Energy, to enhance its resilient electric transmission and distribution network that delivers safe and reliable power to the communities it serves.”

CenterPoint Energy, an industry-leading Texas-based electric and natural gas utility serving more than 7 million metered customers in six states, is using RS products to enhance its resiliency for extreme weather events as part of its grid hardening program.

“CenterPoint Energy is committed to providing safe and reliable service to our customers. RS’s infrastructure products are an important component of our efforts to provide CenterPoint Energy customers with a cost-effective, resilient grid,” said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business of CenterPoint Energy. “As we approach this year’s hurricane season, we continue investing in our transmission and distribution systems to enhance system reliability and resiliency. Manufacturing in the Houston area simplifies supply chain logistics for these important components and supports fast, efficient delivery.”

In addition to proximity to CenterPoint Energy and other major coastal electric utilities requiring resilient solutions, RS’s Houston location was selected based on access to a highly skilled technical workforce.

“I am pleased to welcome RS Technologies Inc. to Houston and fully support their new manufacturing facility,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The company’s commitment to innovation and resiliency in the design and manufacturing of sustainable composite utility poles and structures aligns very well with the resilience strategy that I released in 2022. The resilience framework encourages collective action from all Houston stakeholders to protect against future disasters so that disruptions are minimal. In addition to the resiliency benefit, this project will bring 350 manufacturing jobs and more than 50 professional and support jobs to North Houston which will provide more sustainable wages and improve the quality of life for those in the neighboring communities.”

Source: Business Wire