HOUSTON—Jenessco Industries Inc. is expanding its manufacturing operation, with plans in place to add a plant by late 2011 and possibly two others in the next several years.
The company has acquired a parcel of land in Escuintla, Guatemala, to build a heavy duty rubber glove facility, according to Jenessco President J. Nathanael Essissima. The gloves are used in the blasting industry.
Construction is slated to begin later this year, he said.
Essissima said the factory is needed to satisfy growing demand for rubber glove and butadyl safety sleeves, both of which are presently made at the firm's China facility.
The China site doesn't allow for expansion.
Because of that, Houston-headquartered Jenessco needed to look elsewhere to expand that end of its business. The rubber side of the Chinese manufacturing operation will be moved to the Escuintla site once it's up and operating, leaving the China plant room to expand its butadyl sleeves production.
The company also has another factory in Guatemala and handles limited production at its Houston facility.
“Right now, demand for the gloves is tight, and we can't produce enough of them,” Essissima said. He expects that situation will change when the plant comes on line in 2011.
The new factory is part of a three-phase plan to construct three buildings. Only the first one is definite at this point. He estimated the second will be built three to five years from now.
Essissima said a final decision has yet to be made on the size of the first new factory, although he estimated it at about 5,000 square meters. The building will be located on the recently purchased parcel of land that spans about 40,000 square meters.
The second and third plants will be about the same size and also built on the plot of land, he said.
In addition, Jenessco is purchasing machinery for the factory, Essissima said, although he didn't elaborate.
The first phase of the project should take care of the company's needs for now, he said. When phase two is unveiled for the Escuintla campus, it will likely involve additional butadyl sleeve manufacturing.
Jenessco was established in 1976 and claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of sandblast cabinet gloves and other sandblasting safety products. The company produces lines of sandblast, dry box and general use gloves as well as blast suits, general safety apparel, sandblast capes, dust collection bags, paint socks, and hoods and truck covers.