Rowe Foundry

For over 100 years Rowe Foundry has been under the solid management of the same family incorporating the same Christian values into every decision.  In 1898 Edgar Rowe founded what is now known as Rowe Foundry Inc.   In 1908 Edgar built his first cupola to melt iron. The main market at the time was a cast iron pipe clamp for under water gas and oil lines. When World War II broke out the foundry joined the war effort and began producing bumpers and flywheels for the jeeps. Because Rowe Foundry is located in the heart of the Illinois oil fields, gear housings and other pump-jack parts also became big business.   During the 1950's river clamp producers began looking elsewhere for product materials and found that concrete was the answer for the new river clamps. This, coupled with the steel manufacturers strikes, caused management to look elsewhere for business. 

Counterweights for agricultural and industrial tractors were the answer. At one point Rowe Foundry held more than 75% of the aftermarket agricultural tractor weight market. In 1990 the startup of the new cupola and wet cap scrubber system was put on line.  1920  In the mid-1990's plans were set in motion to phase out the green sand molding system by installing Rowe's first no bake molding system.   In 2005 the foundry saw a complete renovation of the electric system and substations as well as the addition of more warehouse space. In recent years Rowe has seen and responded to the visible shift in demand toward engineered castings. This market has opened up many new doors and opportunities for the future.