Zilmet, the world’s largest manufacturer of expansion tanks, is entering an exciting new chapter with the opening of a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Andrews, South Carolina. This milestone marks a major expansion of the company’s North American operations and underscores its commitment to bringing high-quality, American-engineered plumbing solutions to the U.S. market.

A Global Legacy, A Local Future

Founded in 1955 just outside Venice, Italy, by Ugo Benettolo, Zilmet has grown into a global force in expansion tanks, heat exchangers and water conditioning techanology. Now led by the second generation of the Benettolo family, Zilmet products are distributed in more than 100 countries. North America has long represented the final frontier in the company’s international growth strategy.

Zilmet USA was launched in 2012, with operations based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. “I joined the company in 2014 with the goal of building a strong U.S. presence— a mission that’s now coming to fruition with our new facility in South Carolina, located midway between Charleston and Myrtle Beach,” said Scott Jacobsen, general manager, Zilmet USA.

Made in America: July 25 Grand Opening

Zilmet USA’s new Andrews facility is more than just a building—it’s a strategic investment in American manufacturing.

“BEGINNING WITH OUR GRAND OPENING ON JULY 25, WE WILL BE PRODUCING AND SHIPPING EXPANSION TANKS AND OTHER PRODUCTS DIRECTLY FROM THIS PLANT, PROVIDING JUST-IN-TIME DELIVERY AND ENHANCED SERVICE TO OUR U.S. CUSTOMERS,” JACOBSEN SAID. “WITH IMARK PLUMBING AS A KEY PARTNER IN OUR GROWTH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO EXPANDING OUR REACH AND SUPPORTING MORE MEMBERS WITH LOCALIZED PRODUCTION.”

What Zilmet Offers IMARK Plumbing Members

Zilmet provides a comprehensive product portfolio, including:

• Residential Expansion Tanks
• Commercial Products
• ActivFlo Water Conditioners – Zilmet’s fastest-growing category
• Magnetic Filters
• Heat Exchangers
• Mixing Valves
• Accessories

Each product reflects Zilmet’s commitment to innovation, efficiency and quality.

Zilmet’s People and Culture

Zilmet remains a family-owned business. “The decision to expand manufacturing to the United States instead of further growing our Italian operations reflects our desire to be physically and emotionally closer to our customers,” Jacobsen said.

What makes Zilmet unique is our culture: rooted in quality, simplicity, balance and relationships. “We’re guided by values that emphasize continual improvement, ease of doing business and building lasting partnerships,” Jacobsen said. “Many companies are difficult to work with—we strive to eliminate friction and be the easiest vendor that our customers deal with.”

Listening to Our Partners

IMARK Plumbing has been instrumental in Zilmet’s U.S. growth. “Over the last four to five years, we’ve seen steady increases in demand from IMARK members, with more distributors seeking to partner with us each year,” Jacobsen said. “With the new plant opening, we’re confident that interest—and collaboration—will only grow.”

“One IMARK distributor recently pounded on the table during a one-on-one meeting at the IMARK’s annual conference and said, ‘Open the plant in the U.S. and we’ll do more business.’ We took that to heart. Now, we’re ready,” Jacobsen said. “We invite IMARK members to visit our Andrews facility and see firsthand how we’re building the future of plumbing—right here in the United States.”