Guardian Fiberglass in Albion, Michigan opened its doors on 24 April 2006 to show off the results of a USD 25 million expansion which has seen the workforce grow by 100, with 35 new employees expected…
Guardian Fiberglass in Albion, Michigan opened its doors on 24 April 2006 to show off the results of a USD 25 million expansion which has seen the workforce grow by 100, with 35 new employees expected by summer 2006. Guardian Industries Corp. announced in January 2005 that it would add nearly 14,000 square meters to its Albion plant and about 150 new jobs to its work force of 275. During an open house day at the plant on 24 April 2006, community leaders and employees were able to see Guardian“s new fiberglass manufacturing line, which was up and running in mid-January 2006. “The new line has added about 30% capacity to the plant”, said Tom Gruber, operations manager for the Albion facility. “We“re still scheduled to hire about 35 more employees – we“re ramping up – but everyone should be hired and working by summer”. Peggy Sindt, Albion“s economic development director, praised the company for its contribution to the city. “It“s a lot of jobs and it came at a very opportune time”, she said. “They“re doing everything a company should to make itself successful and in the process, they“re making Albion more successful”. The project received financial help from Michigan Economic Development Corp., which offered a one-off USD 1.6 million tax credit, dependent on the number of jobs created. In addition, the city of Albion will give Guardian USD 4 million in tax abatements over 12 years. Guardian technician Dan Pesch noted the significant upgrade in technology used to operate the new line. Mr. Pesch, who has been with the company for 12 years, can now control and monitor some of the production equipment while away from the factory site. “We can monitor things like conveyor speeds, density and marking”, he said. “The majority of the new line can be operated off site”. Guardian opened its first fiberglass line in Albion in 1980, having converted a Corning Glass Works CRT manufacturing facility to make fiberglass insulation; the plant has operated continuously since then. There have been expansions in the past, but a Guardian spokesman said in 2005 that this is by far the largest project, nearly doubling the size of the plant. Guardian Industries is a privately held company employing 19,000 people in North America and other countries. It has three main business units: the glass group, automotive group and building products group, of which the Albion facility is a part.