Johns Manville Hosts Ceremonial Groundbreaking for New Nonwoven Glass Mat Production Line
Tenn. Gov. Phil Bredesen Delivers Keynote Address at Celebration for New Line That Will Produce Over One Billion Square Meters of Glass Mat Annually
DENVER, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Johns Manville (JM), a leading manufacturer of building and specialty products, today hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new nonwoven glass mat production line at its facility in Etowah, Tenn.
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and JM Chairman, President and CEO Steve Hochhauser delivered keynote addresses at the groundbreaking celebration, which was attended by JM customers, state and local government officials, and more than 100 JM employees.
The new state-of-the-art, high-speed line will be capable of producing more than one billion square meters of glass mat per year and underscores JM's commitment to its roofing, wallboard, flooring, and specialty glass mat customers. The line will be fully operational by early 2007.
"I'm grateful to Johns Manville for the confidence the company has placed in Tennessee as a business location and just as importantly in the ability of Tennessee workers to compete in a global environment," said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. "The Etowah plant's commitment to productivity and quality will play an important role in Johns Manville's continued success."
Hochhauser said it was a great day for JM. "This major investment in the future of our customers -- and the future of our Etowah manufacturing facility -- clearly underscores JM's commitment to meeting the needs of our customers and enabling the continued growth of the global nonwoven glass mat market."
The groundbreaking ceremony takes place against the backdrop of an increasingly tight capacity situation. Glass mats are a key component in the manufacturing of asphalt roofing shingles, glass-faced wallboard, and many specialty applications. According to industry projections, glass mat demand will exceed supply in the near future, making glass mat production the bottleneck in shingle and other finished-material production.
"Given the industry capacity situation -- and our customers' needs -- we are delighted to respond with this major investment, which demonstrates our continued commitment to the glass mat business and our valued customers," said Zain Mahmood, vice president and general manager, JM Construction Materials and Systems. "We especially look forward to supporting the growth plans -- and the accompanying glass-mat need -- of our shingle customers as they increase capacity to meet market demand."
The new line will also enable JM to support growing and evolving specialty mat applications. "We see opportunities to leverage our unique technical capabilities in support of the wallboard and other construction segments where moisture management is a key advantage," said Fred Stephan, vice president and general manager, JM High Performance Nonwovens.
JM's Etowah, Tenn., facility was selected as the site for this significant investment because of its strategic proximity to major roofing shingle and wallboard customers. Additionally, JM has two of its largest glass fiber furnaces located in Etowah.
"The strong work ethic of our dedicated and professional team was a key reason for our selection of Etowah," said Dion Persson, senior vice president, JM Engineered Products. "Coupled with our world-class technology and the emerging platforms of glass mat, this investment will clearly position JM as the leading provider of glass mat in the construction materials space."
About Johns Manville
Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE:BRK.A)(NYSE:BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs approximately 8,500 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.
CONTACT: Paul Gennaro of Johns Manville, +1-303-978-3404
Web site: www.jm.com/
