Business Description

Mueller Industries, Inc. (the Company) is a leading manufacturer of copper, brass, and aluminum products. The range of products we manufacture is broad: copper tube and fittings; line sets; steel nipples; brass rod, bar, and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum impact extrusions; refrigeration valves and fittings; compressed gas valves; pressure vessels; insulated flexible duct systems; and high-quality wire and cable solutions. We also resell brass and plastic plumbing valves, plastic fittings, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialty products. Our operations are located throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, South Korea, the Middle East, and China. The Company was incorporated in Delaware on October 3, 1990. Each of our reportable segments is composed of certain operating segments that are aggregated primarily by the nature of products offered. These are the Piping Systems, Industrial Metals, and Climate segments. Certain administrative expenses and expenses related primarily to retiree benefits at inactive operations are combined into the Corporate and Eliminations classification. Financial information concerning segments and geographic information appears under “ Note 3 – Segment Information ” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which is incorporated herein by reference. New housing starts and commercial construction are important determinants of our sales to the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and plumbing markets because the principal end use of a significant portion of our products is in the construction of single and multi-family housing and commercial buildings. Repairs and remodeling projects are also important drivers of underlying demand for these products. In addition, our products are used in various transportation, automotive, and industrial applications. Piping Systems Segment The Piping Systems segment is composed of Domestic Piping Systems Group, Great Lakes Copper (Great Lakes), European Operations, Trading Group, Jungwoo Metal Ind. Co., LTD (Jungwoo-Mueller), and Mueller Middle East WLL (Mueller Middle East). The Domestic Piping Systems Group manufactures and distributes copper tube, fittings, line sets, and pipe nipples, and resells steel pipe, brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings and faucets, and plumbing specialties. These products are manufactured in the U.S., sold in the U.S., and exported to markets worldwide. Our copper tube ranges in size from 1/8 inch to 8 1/8 inch diameter and is sold in various straight lengths and coils. We are a market leader in the plumbing, air-conditioning and refrigeration service tube markets and we also supply a variety of water tube in straight lengths and coils used for plumbing applications in virtually every type of construction project. Our copper fittings, line sets, and related components are produced for the plumbing and heating industry to be used in water distribution systems, heating systems, air-conditioning, and refrigeration applications, and drainage, waste, and vent systems. Great Lakes manufactures copper tube and line sets in Canada and sells the products primarily in the U.S. and Canada. European Operations manufactures copper tube in the United Kingdom, which is sold throughout Europe. The Trading Group manufactures steel pipe nipples and resells brass and plastic plumbing valves, malleable iron fittings, faucets, and plumbing specialty products to plumbing wholesalers, distributors to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries, and building materials retailers in North America. Jungwoo-Mueller, our South Korean joint venture, manufactures copper-based joining products that are sold worldwide. Mueller Middle East, our Bahraini joint venture, manufactures copper tube and serves markets in the Middle East and Northern Africa. We acquired Elkhart Products Corporation on August 2, 2024, and increased our equity interest in Mueller Middle East to 55 percent on December 7, 2021. These acquisitions complement our existing businesses in the Piping Systems segment. We disposed of Die-Mold on September 2, 2021 and Heatlink Group on July 3, 2023 in a contribution agreement with a limited liability company operating in the retail distribution business. Die-Mold manufactured PEX and other plumbing-related fittings 3 and plastic injection tooling in Canada and sold these products in Canada and the U.S.…