Johns Manville expands glass fibers capacity

Johns Manville (JM), a leading manufacturer of glass fiber products and Berkshire Hathaway company, is raising its production of glass fibers at its plant in Etowah, Tenn., to service the increasing needs of the engineered thermoplastics industry.

The North American composite market  needs a strong and reliable supply of glass fibers to move ahead into the market with innovations directed toward growing applications of glass fibers. JM’s operations in North America are ideally located to reliably serve customers across the growing compounding base in the Midwest and Southeast.

JM is convinced that current and future industry trends will continue to drive increasing demand for glass fiber products, according to Brian Sapp, Global Fibers Business Director for JM Engineered Products. The company commits to continue with innovations in technology and product development in fibers to support its customers.

The planned expansion in Etowah includes a new furnace to support the launch of the next generation of global products for reinforced thermoplastic composites. The new furnace, due to start up in mid-2016, will allow for production growth and flexibility within JM’s product range for polyamides, polyesters and polypropylenes that are used in automotive, electrical and consumer applications.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, manufactures premium-quality products for building insulation, mechanical insulation, commercial roofing, and roof insulation, as well as fibers and nonwovens for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM serves markets that include aerospace, automotive and transportation, air handling, appliance, HVAC, pipe and equipment, filtration, waterproofing, building, flooring, interiors and wind energy. JM employs approximately 7,000 people and operates 44 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China.