Evonik in Mobile, Kaishan Compressor USA in Loxley Among 2026 Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Winners

MOBILE, Ala. — Two companies with operations in South Alabama are among the four winners of the 2026 Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Awards. Evonik Corp., which operates in Mobile and Birmingham, was named Medium Manufacturer of the Year, while Kaishan Compressor USA in Loxley took home the Emerging Manufacturer of the Year title.

The honors recognize Alabama manufacturers for excellence in leadership, performance, innovation and workforce development. The awards are presented jointly by the Business Council of Alabama, the Alabama Training Network and Manufacture Alabama, and this year marks the program’s 27th year.

What judges look for

The program evaluates companies in four broad areas. Leadership speaks to how a company is managed and how it engages with its employees and community. Performance covers results such as growth, quality and safety. Innovation looks at how a manufacturer improves its products and processes, and workforce development reflects how a company recruits, trains and advances its employees. That last area has drawn growing attention statewide as Alabama manufacturers compete for skilled workers in fields such as welding, maintenance and machine operation.

The 2026 winners

The four companies honored this year, by category, are:

• Small Manufacturer of the Year: JIT Industries, Hartselle
• Medium Manufacturer of the Year: Evonik Corp., Mobile and Birmingham
• Large Manufacturer of the Year: American Cast Iron Pipe Co., Birmingham
• Emerging Manufacturer of the Year: Kaishan Compressor USA, Loxley

An independent panel of judges selected the winners, according to the organizations that present the awards.

How the categories are defined

The awards divide competitors by size, based on employee count:

• Small: 99 or fewer employees
• Medium: 100 to 399 employees
• Large: 400 or more employees

The Emerging Manufacturer category is a separate designation alongside the three size-based divisions.

Finalists in each division

Beyond the winners, a number of other Alabama manufacturers were named finalists:

Small category

• Armand Products Co.
• IMS Inc.
• Perfection Chain Products

Medium category

• Cast Products Inc.
• Hexcel Corp.
• Jasper Lumber Co.
• Webb Wheel Products Inc.

Large category

• Dorsey Trailer LLC
• Southwire
• Topre America Corp.
• The Westervelt Company

Evonik’s Gulf Coast footprint

Evonik Corp. is the U.S. arm of Evonik Industries, a specialty chemicals company headquartered in Essen, Germany. Its recognition in the medium category, for companies with 100 to 399 employees, puts its Alabama operations at the top of that division this year.

The award lists Evonik’s operations in both Mobile and Birmingham, reflecting the company’s presence in two of the state’s largest metropolitan areas.

A Baldwin County win in the emerging category

Kaishan Compressor USA’s selection as Emerging Manufacturer of the Year brings statewide recognition to Loxley, a small town in central Baldwin County along the Interstate 10 and Alabama 59 corridor. Kaishan is a compressor manufacturer whose parent group is based in China.

Baldwin County’s rapid population growth over the past two decades has been accompanied by growing interest from manufacturers looking at sites in the county, and recognition for a Loxley-based producer underscores that industry is becoming a larger part of the area’s economy alongside tourism, agriculture and construction.

Statewide recognition for Birmingham and North Alabama firms

The large-category winner, American Cast Iron Pipe Co., commonly known as ACIPCO, is a Birmingham institution founded in 1905 that produces ductile iron pipe and other products. JIT Industries, the small-category winner, is based in Hartselle in Morgan County in North Alabama.

About the awards

The Business Council of Alabama is a statewide business advocacy organization, and Manufacture Alabama is a trade association representing manufacturers and related businesses in the state. Together with the Alabama Training Network, the two groups present the annual awards to highlight manufacturing as a driver of jobs and investment across Alabama.

Manufacturing remains one of the largest sectors of Alabama’s economy, with automotive, aerospace, chemicals, metals and forest products among its major segments. The Mobile and Baldwin County area is home to a cluster of chemical, shipbuilding, aerospace and steel operations, and recognition programs like this one draw attention to the companies and workers behind that output.