WAYNE, N.J. — GAF announced plans to open a combined polyisocyanurate (ISO) and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah. The opening of this plant is expected to result in at least 50 new jobs. This facility expands the company’s North American single ply commercial roofing system manufacturing network to three ISO operations and three TPO operations, and will be the third ISO plant GAF will open in less than two years. The new plant will produce the full line of GAF TPO products, including new 50 mil and 70 mil EverGuard Extreme® TPO, which are positioned to be the new standard in TPO membranes.
ISO is a foam insulation board and TPO is a single ply roofing membrane. Together they are the main components in single ply roofing systems, which are rapidly growing in popularity thanks to their performance, durability, flexibility, competitive price, energy efficiency, and easy installation. This plant will be equipped to make both polyisocyanurate roof insulation and residential sheathing, as well as TPO.
This state-of-the-art ISO and TPO facility is GAF’s second combined plant, allowing the company to more efficiently meet increasing demand for these high performance products throughout the western region of the U.S. The 78-acre site chosen in Cedar City—located between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas—includes an existing building with more than half a million square feet of space. Work to upgrade the building and install production lines and supporting equipment starts this quarter, with operations beginning in 2014.
“This announcement demonstrates GAF’s continuing efforts to provide our customers with the highest-quality products produced in a manner that ensures availability when and where they are needed,” said Bob Tafaro, president and chief executive officer of GAF. “It also demonstrates GAF’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing and creating new, skilled manufacturing jobs in this country.”
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said, “Utah’s manufacturing industry is the third largest sector employer in the state of Utah. GAF’s expansion will encourage other manufacturers to choose Utah as a place to set up their operations as well.”
“This is really a great project for Cedar City,” said Mayor Joe Burgess. “GAF is an outstanding company and a perfect fit for our community. They are bringing quality jobs and we have quality people in an ideal location. We’re thrilled to have this new partnership and to be expanding our manufacturing base.”
Spencer Eccles, executive director for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said, “Including GAF on our list of businesses operating in Utah is a significant addition to our manufacturing base. We are making a serious effort to help manufacturing grow in our rural communities.”
GAF will be announcing further investments in manufacturing capacity for its commercial roofing business. GAF is planning the construction of its first polyvinylchloride (PVC) single ply roofing membrane facility to meet the very stable and specialized demand for this high-performance product. GAF also is currently searching for a site for its fourth ISO manufacturing facility in the Pennsylvania – Maryland area.
For more information, visit, www.gaf.com.
