Saint Gobain’s investment to create 10 new jobs

SAINT-Gobain Performance Plastics Ireland, who employ 70 people in Kilrush, opened its new €3 million fluoropolymer film manufacturing line in the same factory that started almost 32 years ago as Chemfab with just five employees. Ten news jobs are also to be created.

The new line was formally opened by Tom Kinisky, president of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics worldwide with a large number of international colleagues and customers. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by an open day with plant tours for employees and suppliers as well as their families and friends. Speaking at the opening, Tom Kinisky underlined this investment was made because of the “successful track record of the site and the strength of the current operation in managing ongoing change”.

The capital investment of over €3m was won in the face of stiff opposition from other factories in USA and Asia and marks a significant broadening of the capabilities of the Kilrush factory. The site is now well-positioned for ongoing growth coming as it does after another investment three and a half-years ago in state-of-the art manufacturing processes. The expansion not only secures employment on the site for the existing staff but is creating a further 10 positions at operator, engineering and management levels.

The Kilrush factory makes a range of fluoropolymer-coated fabrics, films and tapes and is increasingly working to convert those products into the finished shapes and sizes that the final customers require. The most common fluoropolymer is PTFE, which was made famous under the brand Teflon due to its non-stick properties, chemical inertness and high temperature resistance. Traditional applications have been in release tapes and sheets for the plastics processing and packaging industries, roofing fabrics for large constructions such as sports stadia and airports as well as industrial and food belting. With enhanced capabilities due to this new investment, Saint-Gobain will be able to significantly extend the range of solutions it can offer to customers providing them with “non-stick” or low friction surfaces as well as chemical and environmental barrier membranes.

Specifically, the investment enables the site to develop business in key focus markets such as food processing with clients like McDonald’s, automotive with Bosch and fire and emergency services throughout Europe and Middle East with chemical barrier fabrics for protective clothing and shelters.

Operations director, John Costelloe, described the development as “a proud day for all the site employees, suppliers and friends and marks another key step forward in the history of this flexible and dynamic business”.

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Ireland (SGPPL) is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies. Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing solutions to meet growing demand for energy efficiency and for environmental protection. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics manufactures a range of fluoropolymer-coated fabrics, multilayer films and adhesive tapes for use in food processing, life sciences, automotive, habitat and other industrial markets.