CARPINTERIA, Calif.—NuSil Technology L.L.C. has completed the first of a five-facility expansion at its Bakersfield, Calif., campus aimed at significantly boosting its polymer processing capacity.
A global leader in the production of silicone materials, the company recently completed construction of a new 26,000-sq.-ft. plant on the 15-acre campus in mid-April.
Two other manufacturing facilities had been in place on the site for several years.
NuSil also has started construction of a fourth building on the property, a company spokeswoman said. And it has plans in the works to construct at least two, but probably three, more facilities. Financial details were not disclosed.
The newest completed plant “will result in increased employment opportunities across many functional areas at NuSil Technology's Bakersfield campus,” according to Bill Klansek, vice president of manufacturing.
The company did not say how many people would staff the plant or give the number of new employees expected to be added to its work force.
Some experienced personnel may be moved from other buildings on the campus to fill some slots or rotate between facilities, the spokeswoman said.
New machinery will be added at the site and MorehouseCowles, a NuSil subsidiary, will design and build most of the equipment needed to support the new manufacturing processes at the facility, Klansek said.
Carpinteria-based NuSil's goal is to significantly increase production of silicone materials on the campus, said Jim Yabsley, vice president of engineering.
The company intends “to increase plant capacity by three or four times over the next few years,” he said.
The third building will increase the polymer processing capacity of the company while adding additional warehousing space, according to the spokeswoman.
Overall growth and demand for NuSil's products spurred the expansion and the need for more capacity, she said.
The fourth facility, currently estimated to span about 35,000 square feet, is scheduled to be completed in September.
It will become the company's center for quality assurance, human resources and engineering, and will feature an enlarged quality assurance testing laboratory and expanded office facilities, the firm said.
Founded in 1979, the formulator of silicone compounds produces its products for the health care, aerospace, electronics and other industries. It focuses exclusively on silicone technology and related process development.