NEWMARKET, Ontario—AirBoss of America Corp. is expanding its custom mixing capabilities at its facilities in North Carolina and Ontario.
The firm said its 150,000-sq.-ft. site in Scotland Neck, N.C., will add a rubber compound line to double the facility's mixing capability. AirBoss said the line is expected to be fully operational by July of 2019. The firm received a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund to help facilitate the expansion of this facility.
According to a news release from Gov. Roy Cooper's office, the North Carolina project represents a $5.2 million investment and will create 42 jobs.
AirBoss said its 1 million-sq.ft. site in Kitchener, Ontario, is already one of the largest mixing facilities in North America. That site will receive a new dedicated white and color mixing line, which the firm said is expected to increase its market penetration in the areas of white and colored specialty rubber compounds. The line is expected to be fully operational by March of 2019.
Investment details on the Ontario project were not disclosed.
The moves are part of AirBoss' overall strategy to build greater regional capacity in U.S. The firm said it currently has the capacity to process about 400 million turn pounds of rubber annually, making its Rubber Solutions unit one of North America's largest custom rubber compounding companies.
It also operates an Engineered Products unit, which supplies lifesaving products for the military and a leading supplier of innovative anti-vibration solutions to the North American automotive market.