Seaman Corp., Wooster, Ohio, has completed a $7 million, 19,000-square-foot expansion project at its primary manufacturing facility. Dedicated June 11, 2003, the project will result in 17 new jobs while protecting some 54 existing positions. It also reinforces the need for allied products produced in Seaman’s Bristol, Tenn., manufacturing facility.
“Dedication of this project represents one of the most important moments in the 54-year history of our family company,” said Richard Seaman, president and chief executive officer of Seaman Corp. “This critical investment allows us to produce fabrics at significantly higher speeds and in wider widths than ever before, which will greatly improve our cost-competitive position and our ability to meet or exceed the growing needs of our many customers.”
The project included the purchase and installation of a state-of-the-art, custom-designed hot-melt calender coating line, produced in Italy. To house the calender coating line, the company constructed a 19,000-square-foot addition to its manufacturing facility in Wooster. The calender line will be used to manufacture various PVC, Elvaloy and urethane hot melt compounds, doubling the capacity of the company’s existing calender machines. Initially, the calendar line is producing fabric up to 76 inches wide. Ultimately, the new machine will produce fabric 100 inches wide. These advantages are expected to accelerate sales growth specifically for Seaman’s FiberTite Roofing Systems, XR-5 geomembranes and Shelter-Rite architectural, truck tarp, fuel tank and military tent fabric products.
