HarbisonWalker International Announces New Plant Construction

Moon Township, Pennsylvania – February 16, 2017 –  HarbisonWalker International (HWI), the largest supplier of refractory products and services in the U.S., announced today that it is investing $30 million to construct a new, state-of-the-art monolithic refractories manufacturing facility.  The new facility will be located along the Ohio River Valley in the northern Kentucky / southern Ohio region of the United States.

The new facility will be one of the most technologically advanced refractories plants to be built in the U.S. and will be operational by early 2018. Capacity is expected to be 80,000 metric tons per year. It will employ highly-trained technicians and staff in a team-based environment. The plant will feature a high degree of automation and technology, and will utilize lean techniques throughout its operations to maximize material flow efficiency and production. In addition, the facility will introduce advanced packaging technologies that are new to the North American market.

The strategic location of the new facility is a critical feature that will provide unparalleled distribution and logistics advantages. Its close proximity to accessible river, rail and highway transportation options will ensure efficient delivery of raw materials from nearby suppliers and finished products to customers.

“We are a U.S.-based company and have a strong U.S.-based manufacturing network. We have already made significant investments in individual plants, in locations such as South Shore, Kentucky and White Cloud, Michigan, as part of our plans to improve our manufacturing performance across the company. This new plant, with its state-of-the-art technological advancements, is the next step in our strategy to improve performance and better meet the needs of our customers,” said Douglas Hall, Senior Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain, HarbisonWalker International.

“Monolithics are a growth area, and the new plant will enable us to further elevate product quality and consistency. From a broader perspective, the new plant represents an overall strategy to reinforce our leadership position in refractories through significant investments in our people, processes and products,” added Carol Jackson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, HarbisonWalker International.

“Leveraging new technologies and processes in the new plant will allow us to successfully address growing demand for monolithics by being a cost-effective producer of the highest quality products. These attributes – combined with the largest distribution network in North America, a total-solution product portfolio, and a reinvigorated approach to innovation – further strengthen our position as a leader in North American refractories,” noted Jackson.

Additional details about the new facility and construction plans will be announced as they become available.