Knauf Insulation has brought in a new director of operations from Wales for its plant at Shasta Lake, northern California.
Iain James is Knauf“s third director of operations since the company starte…
Knauf Insulation has brought in a new director of operations from Wales for its plant at Shasta Lake, northern California. Iain James is Knauf“s third director of operations since the company started production at Shasta Lake in February 2002. Mr. James arrives after spending 12 years at Knauf“s sister plant in Cwmbran, Wales, the last seven as the UK facility“s director of operations. Knauf, based in Germany, purchased the Wales plant in September 2001 from Owens Corning, Knauf spokesman Mike Lynam said. Mr. James worked for Owens Corning before Knauf bought the plant. Mr. James takes over from Bill Taylor, who had managed Knauf“s Shasta Lake fiberglass plant since March 2004. Mr. Taylor is leaving to run Knauf“s facility in Lanett, Alabama, where he spent nearly eight years as the plant“s engineer before coming to Shasta Lake. Mr. Taylor replaces Bill Donnett, who retired after 26 years with the company. Knauf operates around 30 manufacturing plants worldwide. The firm“s US headquarters are in Shelbyville, Indiana, where it also has a plant. The company makes construction materials for drywall construction, Knauf plasterboard, mineral fiber acoustic board, dry mortar with gypsum for internal plaster, and cement-based external plaster and insulating materials, according to its web site. Knauf“s plant in Wales has approximately 160 employees and is similar in size to the Shasta Lake plant, which is around 46,450 square meters and has about 135 employees. Both facilities operate 24 hours, seven days a week. Mr. Lynam said the United Kingdom“s housing market has not experienced the steep decline that has occurred in the United States. “They have not had quite the difficult times we have had here in the last couple of years, with respect to housing, but it has dropped,” Mr. Lynam said. Lack of demand for Knauf“s fiberglass insulation forced company officials to temporarily shut down production for six weeks in Shasta Lake. Workers returned on 5 January 2009.