WACO - AstenJohnson, a global nonwovens and textile manufacturer, has opened its new needlepunch plant in Waco, Texas, the company's eight facility in North America.
AstenJohnson is a manufacturer of pulp & paper machine clothing, advanced technical fabrics, filaments, and nonwoven fabrics for filtration, automotive, cured-in-place piping and composites. The company has manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia and North America, with corporate headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina.
The event was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by AstenJohnson business leaders, government representatives and members of the local community.
Strategically located in Waco, the plant will focus on supplying nonwovens fabrics for the Group's Eagle Nonwovens and Foss Performance Materials business units and in particular, growth markets including auto light-weighting and composite manufacturing. In addition to the latest needlepunch nonwovens technology, the plant will be clean, air-conditioned, and will have a strong focus on sustainable business practices. Described as a model of sustainability and energy efficiency, with environmental initiatives integrated into its design, AstenJohnson said it was committed to minimizing its impact on the environment while delivering superior quality products, in keeping with its Sustainability initiatives.
AstenJohnson CEO Kevin Frank expressed his gratitude to the employees and partners who have contributed to the realization of this ambitious project: “I am grateful to the countless people who have helped us create and launch the most modern nonwovens plant in the world. With state-of-the-art machinery, climate control, and competitive wages, we hope to be part of the Waco landscape for a long time to come.“
The plant in Waco has been designed for fast collaboration with customers, high quality products, and responsiveness. Waco is a prime location to help the company achieve those goals. AJ Nonwovens President, Neil Johnson added: “Our workforce will be highly skilled, able to make decisions on the fly, and supportive. We found those characteristics intrinsic to the Waco community. We’re excited to see the dynamic new products we can develop here.”
