Shaw Industries Group Inc. plans to invest $20 million and add 55 new jobs to expand manufacturing capabilities for solid polymer core (SPC) flooring at its facility in Ringgold, Ga.
The latest investment, which is the second part of a three-phased expansion at the company's Plant RP, is expected to start coming online in the first quarter of 2021 and be completed by the first quarter of 2022.
Shaw has been manufacturing luxury vinyl tile (LVT) at the site since 2016. About 240 employees currently work there.
SPC flooring has a rigid vinyl construction that features a compact, waterproof core that is dimensionally stable and stands up to extreme temperature fluctuations, Amanda Steel, Shaw public relations manager, told Plastics News.
"Shaw has invested approximately $160 million at its Plant RP in Ringgold, Ga.," Steel said in an email. "This additional $20 million investment will add further SPC capacity at the facility."
Shaw's investments address the growing demand for SPC within the resilient flooring category while illustrating the company's commitment to U.S. manufacturing, David Morgan, Shaw's executive vice president of operations, said in a news release.
"We'll continue to invest in manufacturing capabilities, strong sourcing partnerships, robust distribution networks and innovation to continue to be the leader in this category," Morgan said.
Based in Dalton, Ga., Shaw Industries manufactures carpet, resilient, hardwood, laminate, tile and stone flooring products as well as synthetic turf for residential and commercial uses. A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the company generates annual sales of about $6 billion with some 22,000 employees. The website lists 140 locations, including 131plants, two distribution centers, one research and development facility and six closed plants.