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[September 2007]
SCHOTT Announces Expansion of Louisville Facility
SCHOTT North America Inc has announced an expansion of its existing Louisville, KY facility, which will add approximately 20 manufacturing jobs and additional seasonal employment. The expansion coincides with the relocation of SCHOTT's Applied Energy Systems (AES) business to Louisville.
SCHOTT AES fabricates ROBAX®, a transparent glass-ceramic produced by the company in a variety of shapes and sizes. ROBAX is primarily used as a transparent protective covering in fireplace and hearth applications. It is said to be particularly well suited for this application due to its physical properties including a very low thermal expansion with high clarity.
“Bringing the operations to Louisville made sense from a business stand-point, as we are able to consolidate and leverage synergies, move closer to our customer base and to position ourselves for future growth,” explained Dr Ioannis Kosmas, Vice President Business Segment Glass Ceramics. “SCHOTT and Louisville have had a successful business relationship over the past years, and we are happy to bring these jobs to the talented and skilled workforce of Kentucky.”
SCHOTT has seen a recent surge in growth of its ROBAX product line, attributed to higher energy costs. Since 2004, the industry has seen an 11% increase, with future growth expected. “When the cost of energy increases, people naturally look for alternative methods of heating, including wood-stoves and fireplaces, where ROBAX is uniquely positioned,” explained Stefan Spengler, VP & GM SCHOTT Applied Energy Systems.
Globally, the SCHOTT Group has over 16,800 employees producing world-wide sales of over €2.2 billion.
www.us.schott.com
ENDS