Oldcastle Infrastructure, a CRH company and a national leader in infrastructure solutions, celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art, automated wet-cast manufacturing facility in Vander, North Carolina. The facility expands regional capacity to produce sanitary sewer structures, catch basins and stormwater management systems – all of which are critical infrastructure products needed to support accelerating growth across the Carolinas.

“The significance of our new plant is threefold. Our first priority is and was safety. Our team members are at the core of what we do, and it is our responsibility to give them an environment in which they can work safely with minimal risk. The second component was increasing capacity to give us the ability to service our customers, and the economic growth witnessed in the second-largest MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in North Carolina, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Lastly, the site enhances efficiency, which improves lead times and eases workload for our employees,” shared Regional President at Oldcastle Infrastructure Kevin Blackwell. 

Designed to meet rapidly rising construction demand driven by population migration, expanding economic development, and infrastructure priorities, the Vander facility incorporates advanced automation, robotics and precision manufacturing systems that enhance product consistency that customers can rely on. The new facility is one of the most technologically advanced precast production environments in the Southeast.

“It is exciting. The plant here services the Triangle, Fayetteville, the coast, the Triad…roughly the eastern half of North Carolina, and then down into Myrtle Beach,” shared Oldcastle Infrastructure General Manager for the Carolinas, Rick Santiago. 

About 55 people work at the plant in Fayetteville. 

North Carolina continues to experience significant infrastructure pressure as communities grow and aging systems are replaced. With its central location near Fayetteville, the Vander facility, located at 3960 Cedar Creek Road, Fayetteville, is strategically positioned to strengthen regional supply chains and support municipal and private development needs.

The facility introduces greater capacity and is fully automated. 

The project, dubbed “Tobacco Road,” is organized into four distinct phases. Phase one focused on constructing a new concrete batching system This system was designed to feed both the existing traditional precast plant and the new wet cast facility, ensuring a consistent concrete supply across the site.

Phase two centered on the development of the new wet cast facility, which represents the modern expansion of the site’s production capabilities. Development of this new facility took about two years and represents a $40 million investment.

In phase three, the plan is to build a new pipe plant at the opposite end of the property. This new facility will be brought fully online before the existing pipe plant, originally built in 1964, is taken out of service. 

Phase four will address the traditional precast plant. The existing structure will be completely demolished and then rebuilt from the ground up, larger and more advanced than the current facility. This final phase is intended to significantly increase capacity and modernize operations across the site.

The future phases of this project have been forecasted as early as 2027 and in to 2028.