ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc.

What ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc. does

ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc. is a privately held, Houston-based industrial distributor founded in 1976 and owned since 1989 by CEO Harry Kirk and President Andy Zizinia. The company operates as the largest independently-owned waterworks and fire protection distributor in Texas, running 13+ fully stocked branch locations across the state from a 23-acre Houston headquarters and fabrication complex. Its business spans four service lines: Waterworks (pipes, valves, fittings, and related materials for municipal water and sewer contractors), Fire Protection (sprinkler pipe, heads, valves, and complete systems), ACT Fabrication (custom fire protection pipe fabrication to specification), and ACT Industrial Fabrication (precision industrial fabrication shipped globally). ACT sources from 100+ waterworks manufacturers and 30+ fire protection manufacturers including Victaulic, Tyco, Johnson Controls, and Potter.

ACT's go-to-market is relationship-driven direct sales, with sales representatives and estimators at each branch providing blueprint-based quotations, credit-account invoicing, and direct job-site delivery using specialized forklift-equipped trucks. Many branches operate Saturday hours for contractor convenience. Production technology is centered on fabrication quality control rather than software: ACT uses a NAP computerized weld machine plus dye penetration, ring gauge, thread depth, groove tolerance, and high-pressure air blowout testing to certify welds and finished assemblies. A web-based customer portal (actpipe-cloud.vastedge.com) layers digital ordering on top of the branch sales motion.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time transactional sales of distributed goods plus custom fabrication services priced per project. End-customer logos span sports (Reliant Stadium), commercial real estate (Enron Building), automotive manufacturing (Toyota San Antonio), big-box retail (Walmart, Home Depot), healthcare (Northeast Baptist, Dell Medical), hospitality (Hilton), government (Yuma Border Patrol), and large distribution centers, though these projects are typically accessed through contractor relationships rather than direct recurring contracts. ACT has no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue; operations are concentrated in Texas, with fabrication products shipping globally.

Name

ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc.

Legal name

ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc.

Website

https://actpipe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ACT Pipe & Supply is a privately held Houston-based industrial distributor and the largest independently-owned waterworks and fire protection distributor in Texas, operating 13+ branches and a 23-acre fabrication facility serving contractors and enterprise end-customers across the state and globally for fabrication orders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waterworks and Fire Protection Distribution

NAICS

Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711), Fabricated Pipe and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing (332996)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Protection Systems Contracting (Sprinklers, Alarms, Suppression) (IMAFALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Pipeline Construction (Mains, Force Mains, Interceptors) (IMAFAGAC), Fire Protection Piping & Sprinkler System Components (IMADALAJ), Pipe Installation, Repair & Repiping (HSAOAAAB)

Keywords

• Waterworks distribution
• Fire protection supplies
• Pipe fabrication services
• Industrial fabrication
• Fire sprinkler systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Waterworks Products: Sale of water and sewer pipes, fittings, valves and related supplies to contractors through 13 branch locations throughout Texas
2. Fire Protection Products: Sale of fire sprinkler pipe, heads, valves and related fire protection products for commercial and residential applications worldwide
3. Fire Protection Fabrication: Custom fabrication of fire protection pipe and systems to contractor specifications, shipped globally from Houston facility
4. Industrial Fabrication: Precision industrial fabrication services built to specification with global shipping available from 23-acre Houston facility

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACT Pipe & Supply distributes waterworks and fire protection products and provides custom fabrication services. The company operates four core lines: Waterworks (pipes, valves, fittings for municipal water and sewer projects across 13 Texas branches), Fire Protection (sprinkler pipe, heads, and valves for commercial and residential buildings), Fabrication (custom fire sprinkler pipe fabrication), and Industrial Fabrication (precision industrial fabrication to exact specification with global shipping).

Product overview

ACT Pipe & Supply is a distribution company offering waterworks supplies (pipes, valves, fittings) and fire protection products through a multi-divisional structure. The company operates four core product/service lines: Waterworks (13 branches across Texas), Fire Protection (sprinkler systems and products), Fabrication (custom fire protection pipe fabrication via ACT Fabrication subsidiary), and Industrial Fabrication (precision industrial fabrication via ACT Industrial Fabrication subsidiary). The wholly-owned fabrication subsidiaries operate from the company's 23-acre Houston facility and offer global shipping capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waterworks Distribution of waterworks supplies including pipes, valves, fittings, and related materials for municipal water and sewer infrastructure projects. ACT operates 13 fully stocked waterworks branches throughout Texas.
• Fire Protection Distribution of fire sprinkler products including pipe, heads, valves, and complete fire protection systems for commercial and residential applications.
• Fabrication Custom fire protection fabrication services including custom pipe fabrication and fire sprinkler systems built to specification, with global shipping available from the Houston facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Product delivery within 5 days for non-stocked items
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Core & Main: Core & Main (NYSE: CNM) is the largest US distributor of water, sewer, and fire protection products to municipalities and contractors. It is the closest publicly traded comparable to ACT, operating in identical product categories with a multi-state branch network.
• Ferguson Enterprises: Ferguson (NYSE: FERG) is the largest US distributor of plumbing, waterworks, and fire protection products, serving contractors through a nationwide branch network. ACT competes directly with Ferguson in Texas for waterworks and fire protection contractors.
• HD Supply Waterworks: HD Supply Waterworks (now part of The Home Depot Pro) is a national distributor of water, sewer, and storm drainage products to municipalities and contractors. It is one of the top three direct competitors to ACT in the Texas waterworks market.
• Reliance Pipe & Supply: Reliance Pipe & Supply is a Texas- and US Gulf Coast-based distributor specializing in water, sewer, and fire protection products. It is a regional direct competitor to ACT serving similar municipal and contractor customers in overlapping Texas geographies.
• Winsupply: Winsupply is a large US-owned cooperative of plumbing, HVAC, and waterworks distribution centers serving contractors. Its waterworks and fire protection categories put it in direct competition with ACT for contractor accounts across multiple US regions.
• APi Group: APi Group (NYSE: APG) is a global leader in fire protection and life safety services including fabrication and installation of sprinkler systems. APi's fire protection fabrication business competes with ACT Fabrication on custom sprinkler and suppression pipe assemblies.

Others

• Victaulic: Victaulic is the leading manufacturer of mechanical pipe-joining systems (grooved couplings, fittings, valves) widely used in fire protection and waterworks applications. It is one of ACT's key manufacturer partners and a major upstream supplier in the value chain ACT serves.

Broad incumbents

• Watts Water Technologies: Watts Water Technologies (NYSE: WTS) manufactures water systems products including valves, fittings, and drainage components sold primarily through distributor channels like ACT. It is an upstream supplier and a useful benchmark for the value ACT captures as the channel.
• NIBCO: NIBCO is a leading manufacturer of plumbing, flow-control, and waterworks valves and fittings. It supplies through distribution channels such as ACT's, making it a comparable on the manufacturer side of ACT's product portfolio.

Emerging players

• E.H. Wachs: E.H. Wachs provides precision industrial cutting, machining, and custom fabrication services for pipeline and infrastructure markets. It is comparable to ACT Industrial Fabrication on the custom-fabrication side of the business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACT Pipe & Supply, Inc.