AFS Corporate Member Mueller Water Products Inc. is planning to build a new, state-of-the-art foundry in Decatur, Illinois, according to a news release.

The foundry will be located at 2700 N. Jasper Street and manufacture finished brass goods for water and gas transmission. Construction is expected to begin in the fall, and up to 250 employees will work at the foundry when it is completed.

“Mueller is committed to continuing to build and strengthen our American manufacturing footprint,” Scott Hall, president and chief executive officer of Mueller, said in a statement. “Mueller has been in Decatur since the very beginning, and we are proud of the products that are built by our employees there. The new Decatur foundry is part of a multi-year project that will modernize our facility and provide operational efficiencies that will directly benefit our customers, employees and the local community. We look forward to continued work with the EDC and the city of Decatur.”

Currently, the Mueller Co. has a metalcasting facility on Garfield Avenue in Decatur, as well as another manufacturing facility on Eldorado Street. Eventually all casting production will be moved to the new foundry once construction is complete.

Mueller Water Products’ portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, pipe connection and repair products, metering products, leak detection, and pipe condition assessment.

Last year, Mueller Co. also announced a three-year expansion project at its foundry in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a conference call to investors Aug. 5, Hall reported the company has invested $52.9 million in capital expenditures so far this year, $26 million more than the prior year due to accelerated investments in manufacturing capabilities, particularly in Chattanooga. The company expects to make a full-year investment in capital expenditures of $80 million.