Aurora, Ohio — Trelleborg Sealing Profiles U.S. Inc. welcomed visitors to a grand opening of its new 156,250-square-foot manufacturing facility in Aurora.
The new site brings three manufacturing sites and the business unit's administrative offices all under a single roof, Managing Director Smith McKee said at the event.
"In addition to having more space and a much better design process flow, the other main benefit for the new site is having all of our manufacturing operations and all of our employees under one roof," McKee said. "This has really streamlined our processes, eliminated waste in moving product, improved communication and collaboration between employees and accelerated employee engagement."
The new building combined manufacturing facilities from Streetsboro, Ohio; Bristol, Ind.; and Aurora, as well as administrative offices, also in Aurora. On top of manufacturing and warehousing, it will also serve as the business unit's headquarters in the Americas, McKee said. Investment details were not disclosed.
It houses 10 rubber and silicone extrusion lines, seven thermoplastic and plastic extrusion lines, a climate controlled finishing room, a cold storage room, a cooling room and quality lab, McKee said.
"We are all very excited to start the journey to better support our customer base in the Americas by establishing a world-class manufacturing facility," he said. "We've been working on this project now for more than three years, and after all the hard work, it's finally come to a reality."
The new building is an affirmation of Trelleborg's commitment to customers, colleagues and partners in the U.S., said Magnus Andersson, sealing and profiles president for Trelleborg AB, the U.S. firm's global parent, based in Trelleborg, Sweden. The site also expands the company's capabilities to grow and serve customers better stateside.
"This event marks an important milestone in the development of Trelleborg seals and profiles in the Americas. 'Local presence, global reach' is one of the values we live by, and it's an important part of the Trelleborg brand," Andersson said.
The grand opening was attended by Ann Benjamin, City of Aurora mayor, and Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde.