Neptune Technology Group is celebrating its 35th year in Tallassee.

The plant milestone will be celebrated with a big cookout for workers in July, and T-shirts will be given out as well, said Joe Breeding, vice president of human resources.

The company also is marking its 115th year as a manufacturer. Neptune is a leading maker of water meters and advanced meter reading technology.

The company manufactured the new drive-by meter reading devices used by the city of Montgomery to read water meters, Breeding said.

He said the gross payroll at the Tallassee plant in 2006 reached about $32 million.

Breeding said 550 workers churn out more than 2 million water meters a year in Tallassee. The equipment is shipped across the United States, Canada and Mexico, he said.

Neptune Technology Group Inc. was founded in June 1892 and began manufacturing water meters in Long Island, New York.

In June 1972, Neptune moved to its current home in Tallassee, where today all Neptune water meters and meter reading systems are manufactured.

The company makes meter-reading systems for water, electric and gas utilities. Neptune also has operations in Plano, Texas, Mexico City and Toronto, Canada. Breeding said the Tallassee site includes more than 18 acres with 230,000 square feet of building space and is the North American headquarters for the company.