This morning’s started with the announcement from parent company Mueller Water Products that U.S. Pipe will be closing its ductile iron pipe manufacturing plant in Birmingham’s North Birmingham community. The construction of a new facility in Bessemer which uses a new process that increased output and reduced production costs helped lead to this decision.

According to the press release, 260 positions will be eliminated by March 31 of this year helping the company see $6-8 million in savings during fiscal 2010. The production handled by the North Birmingham plant will be shifted to the company’s Bessemer plant as well as a plant in Union City, CA.