HALSTEAD, Kan.—ContiTech A.G.'s Halstead facility celebrated its 80th anniversary.
"Our facility has been a strong contributor to the Continental family of conveyor belting," Plant Manager Cody Knauss said in a news release. "This is due in great part to an exceptional workforce, and we look forward to at least another 80 years of successful business practices."
The plant began business in 1939 with tire repairman Ed Toevs, who called his shop the Rub-R-Slat Draper Co. In 1940, Toevs partnered with Everett Legg who bought out Toevs in 1952 for $115,000. The company was incorporated as Legg Co. Inc. in 1964.
Today, the 182,000-sq.-ft. plant builds conveyor belts for Continental, which acquired the plant from Legg Co. Inc. in 2013. It sits on 14 acres about 30 miles northwest of Wichita, Kan.
"The Halstead plant is part of an organization that enables us to strategically position ourselves to provide dynamic growth for all of the conveyor belt markets in which we compete in the North America region," Jim Hill, ContiTech CEO for the North America region, said in a news release. "We will continue to grow our customer network and provide the seamless distribution of our products with our focus on North America."
ContiTech, a division in the Continental Corp., manufactures products for applications in machine and plant engineering, mining, agriculture and automotive.