SAEGERTOWN, Pa.—Lord Corp. has disclosed plans to expand and upgrade operations at its Saegertown facility.
The firm intends to invest $80 million during the next five years to add various adhesive and coating product lines and provide overall modernization of the Saegertown site.
"Following a rigorous national site selection process, the decision was made to expand and upgrade our existing Saegertown facility," President and CEO Ed Auslander said in a statement. "The benefits of deepening our roots in the Saegertown community far outweighed the option of building a second site. Ultimately, the advantages offered by our existing Saegertown facility prevailed."
Expansion work is set to begin in May and continue through 2023, adding 75,000 square feet to the existing 250,000-sq.-ft. building on Lord's 67-acre site in Saegertown. The firm employs more than 235 at the facility, which is Lord's largest specialty chemicals, adhesives and coatings manufacturing facility.
The site produces acrylic, urethane and epoxy adhesives as well as its Chemlok-branded rubber-to-substrate bonding adhesives, primarily serving the automotive/passenger car industry. Additionally, the plant produces specialty intermediate chemicals and coatings products that are supplied to customers around the world.
"Our Saegertown facility dates back to 1962, when we began with 15 employees and a 10,000-sq.-ft. facility," Doug Lorenz, president of the firm's global performance materials business, said in a statement. "As Lord continues to grow as a global company, we are excited to expand the Saegertown facility to keep pace with the growth and needs of our customers around the world."
Headquartered in Cary, N.C., Lord employs about 3,000 in 26 countries with 19 manufacturing facilities and 10 research and development centers.