FMA Awards Program Honors Company for its Rebound from Intense Natural Disaster

ROCKFORD, Ill., Feb.18, 2013  – Independence Tube Corporation’s Decatur, Ala. location was nearly demolished by an EF5 tornado on April 27, 2011, but only 12 months later the rebuilt facility was open and ready for business – no small accomplishment considering the fact that the storm destroyed 385,000 square feet of the plant’s 435,000 square foot facility. The resilience and recovery plan demonstrated by the staff of this company earned them the TPJ Industry Award 2013 presented by TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal® and sponsored by the Tube & Pipe Association Intl. (TPA). The TPA award is bestowed upon an individual or company within the tube and pipe fabricating and producing industry that has successfully improved operations, attained business success, and contributed to both the local and industry communities.

The TPJ Industry Award 2013 will be presented to Independence Tube in a ceremony during The FABRICATOR’s Leadership Summit, which begins Feb. 27 at the Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort in Palm Harbor (Tampa), Fla.

“This award recognizes those individual leaders and companies who consistently optimize business practices, promote manufacturing in their communities, and exemplify success in daily operations,” said Edward Youdell, president and CEO of FMA. “No company can expect to have a disaster of this magnitude strike its facility, but every company should have a well designed recovery plan in place just in case a natural disaster hits.  The way this company developed a recovery team and executed a plan that focused on the facility, its employees and the needs of its customers was truly exemplary.”

As the winner, one company representative and one guest receive complimentary registration, travel, and hotel accommodations to The FABRICATOR’s Leadership Summit.

Independence Tube also will be featured as the cover story of the February 2013 issue of TPJ-The Tube & Pipe Journal, an international trade journal for manufacturers that produce or use metal tube and pipe.

“The story of Independence Tube’s rise from the rubble of catastrophe is both inspiring and instructive,” said David Brambert, group publisher of FMA Communications Inc.  “The company’s management acted as we hope we would in similar circumstances – honestly, forthrightly and with lots of communication.  Their attention to their workers and customers during the rebuilding process really showed the company’s commitment to the people part of the business.”

Based in Rockford, Ill., FMA is a professional organization with nearly 2,300 members working together to improve the metal processing, forming, and fabricating industry. Founded in 1970, FMA brings metal fabricators and fabricating equipment manufacturers together through technology councils, educational programs, networking events, and the FABTECH® tradeshow. FMA also has two technology affiliates, the Tube & Pipe Association, Intl. (TPA), which focuses on the unique needs of companies engaged in tube and pipe producing and fabricating; and Green Manufacturer Network, a professional organization of individual members dedicated to working toward environmentally friendly manufacturing.

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Contact

Patricia Lee

Public Relations Director,
Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International (FMA)
patl@fmanet.org
+1-815-227-8286