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[March 2006]
Wienerberger to Further Increase Capacity in USA
General Shale, the Wienerberger US subsidiary and the nation’s leading brick manufacturer, plans to add jobs through an expansion of its Mooresville, Indiana, facility with construction of a new, ultra-modern production line. Company officials plan to break ground on this project in mid-2006, as soon as the brick manufacturer receives final approvals and the required permits from state and local agencies.Featuring the latest robotic technology, the fully-automated plant will create an opportunity for 25 new jobs and increase General Shale’s production capacity in Mooresville to 200 million bricks annually, company officials said. The new production line will produce an additional 90 million bricks per year and will be located adjacent to the company’s existing Mooresville plant. General Shale officials expect the facility to begin production by mid-2007. The construction of this new line will represent an investment of roughly US$30 million.
"This is a project that we have been diligently pursuing," said Hans Tschuden, CFO of Wienerberger AG and responsible board member for the USA. "An expansion of this magnitude is another key development for General Shale as we strengthen our growth strategy in response to the ever-increasing demand for our products."
In addition to the Mooresville development, General Shale has built or expanded three plants in the past two years as it grows to meet the increasing demand for brick. The company built a second plant in the Raleigh, NC, area, a newly constructed facility that is producing 90 million bricks per year, increasing production capacity at this location to 270 million bricks per year. General Shale opened an ultra-modern plant in Rome, GA, which is producing 120 million bricks per year, and has also doubled its production capacity in Louisville, KY, to 115 million bricks per year. Since 2003 General Shale has invested around US$130 million for capacity extensions and the takeover of brick merchants in the course of its consistent, profitable growth strategy, said Wienerberger.
"The expansion in Mooresville will enable General Shale to expand its product offering to a growing number of customers in the Midwest," Tschuden said. "We look forward to boosting General Shale’s presence in the Indianapolis market and other key markets in the Midwest."
Headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, General Shale Brick is the leading exterior building materials manufacturer in the USA. The company produces more than 1.5 billion brick units a year, supplying residential, commercial and speciality architectural bricks and brick pavers.
www.generalshale.com
www.wienerberger.com
ENDS