NEW COLUMBIA, Penn. — GAF, one of the largest roofing manufacturers in the nation, is increasing its operations in Pennsylvania with a new plant.

The new 430,000-square-foot facility, located in New Columbia, is expected to create at least 35 skilled manufacturing and office jobs. GAF is targeting 2020 for product production to begin.

The new plant will exclusively manufacture polyisocyanurate, a rigid foam board insulation. EnergyGuard™ Polyiso Insulation board is made of glass fiber-reinforced cellulosic felt facers bonded to a core of isocyanurate foam.

EnergyGuard™ Polyiso Roof Insulation is lighter than most other insulating products, offering comparable thermal resistance; as much as five times lighter in weight than many other materials with the same R-value. The product is installed under thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) single-ply roofing membranes.

The plant is the second location GAF has opened in New Columbia. Its 275,000-square-foot location opened in 2018 manufactures commercial TPO roofing materials and plastic injection molded accessories.

GAF selected the second plant to be in the New Columbia area due to the workforce, excellent rail service, proximity to an interstate highway and its customer base in the Northeast. This will be GAF’s fourth ISO plant, joining Cedar City, Utah, Gainseville, Texas, and Statesboro, Ga.