02/11/2008
NEWS RELEASE
State-of-the-art technology at
Shelbyville headquarters advances product quality, doubles
production capacity, and increases energy efficiency for leading
insulation manufacturer.
(SHELBYVILLE, Ind., February 11, 2008)—Knauf
Insulation is pleased to announce the completion of a $220M
renovation to their Shelbyville, Indiana production facility. The
announcement marks the end of a three-year project which included
adding additional square footage and state-of-the-art computer
technology designed to improve product quality and increase
efficiencies as well as cold end automation to consistently package
our products at the production facility.
“Our advanced computer control technology
provides continuous feedback during every step of the production
process. Real time process adjustments are made based on that
feedback,” says Jon Pereira, Senior Vice President of Operations at
Knauf. “This state-of-the-art technology allows the plant to
consistently produce more of the same high quality products Knauf
is known for while using much less energy.”
The expansion included 373,000 square feet of
warehousing and roughly 300,000 square feet of production
facilities. Along with our residential lines the plant produces
commercial and industrial insulation products, including duct and
equipment insulations and uncured products, as well as light
density building insulations. The plant now boasts more than double
the production capacity using a fully automated manufacturing
process complete with technology upgrades that provide greater
control of product quality. A single networked system was created
by coupling controlled manufacturing processes with Programmable
Logic Controllers (PLCs), instruments that control the Human
Machine Interface (HMI), and other high-tech
improvements.
“The renovation closes the loop in the
production process,” says Pereira. “At the same time, it
allows Knauf to cut the amount of energy used to melt glass in
half.” Knauf is among the first in the industry to use this
fully integrated, automated strategy to increase product quality
while reducing energy expenditures. “I don’t see how anyone else
can claim to have this level of technology in their
facilities.”
“No other insulation manufacturer is making
this kind of commitment to the industry – not only in bricks and
mortar, but in new technology and innovation that can benefit the
environment,” said Knauf Insulation North America President Bob
Claxton. “We’re especially proud of the huge reduction in
energy consumption and the subsequent minimization of
CO2 emissions that we will see through the use of the
advanced technology used on this project.”
Knauf Insulation GmbH is a leading U.S.
manufacturer of thermal and acoustical fiber glass insulations for
residential, commercial, industrial, OEM and metal building
applications. For more information about Knauf sales and products,
visit www.knaufinsulation.us,
write to Knauf Insulation GmbH, One Knauf Drive, Shelbyville,
IN 46176 or call 800-825-4434 ext. 8212.