The CEO of a German-based manufacturer with a dozen plants worldwide said its future Columbus plant will serve as his corporation’s showcase and flagship operation.
The Lindal Group, which makes aerosol packaging, is investing $20 million into the new facility, CEO Francois-Xavier Gilbert told a group of about 35 people who attended a Tuesday groundbreaking ceremony at the site.
The new facility will be located on 15 acres south of Deaver Road and east of County Road 300W in a new extension of the Woodside Northwest Industrial Park.
“This is a small celebration, but the big one will be next year,” Gilbert told the group. “We’re going to make it a big party, because this is a big investment.”
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Scheduled for completion in December, the 100,000-square-foot facility will allow Lindal to hire 35 new employees over the next two years, as well as maintain the 65 jobs it currently provides in Bartholomew County, Lindal North America managing director Jerry Miller said.
Lindal received a 10-year tax abatement in December from the city of Columbus based on its commitment to increase the Columbus workforce.
Pay range for those full-time jobs was listed at $22 to $25 per hour, according to the tax abatement documents.
Besides skilled laborers who will receive up to three months training, new hires will be brought into both management and technical lead positions for automation projects, Miller said.
“Our goal is to hire select people, do the training and then retention,” Miller said.
When completed in December, the building will include production, offices, laboratories and warehousing to replace two existing facilities on Progress Drive and one in Hope that have been operational since 2003, said Philip Brand, the company’s global marketing director.
On the same morning the groundbreaking ceremony was held, the Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety agreed to extend International Drive to the new facility, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop said during the ceremony.
That extension will open up more than 70 acres of land with utility access that can be marketed as potential sites for future economic development, said Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. president.
The new plant must be operational no later than January to order to fulfill a contractual obligation to S.C. Johnson Company, which makes brand-name products such as Glade, OFF!, Pledge, Windex, and Mr. Muscle, Gilbert said.
Products made in Columbus include caps on Lemon Pledge, as well as on shave gels manufactured by Unilever.
Lindal also develops and manufactures valves, actuators and spray caps for other well-known companies such as Dow and L’Oreal.
Since Lindal is not an automotive supplier, different from many of the city’s leading industries, Hester said its expansion will provide diversification to the local economy.
While research shows North America is the world’s second largest-market for aerosol, with 30.2 percent of global revenue, it is the largest market for Lindall, Gilbert said.
That was a key reason why Columbus was chosen for the new facility over other options in both Central and South America, Gilbert said.
In addition, “the proximity to key multinational accounts will shorten supply chains and provide enhanced returns for our trade partners,” said Robert Brands, president of the Lindal Group in the Americas.
Company-provided research projects the global aerosol market will reach $84.04 billion units by 2024 and grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 3.8 percent through 2024.
Besides its current products, the Columbus plant also will make bag-on-valve technology, molding and valves for the first time. The process of manufacturing these types of dispensers will be moved from Lindal’s current facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 2015, Lindal requested and received a tax abatement from the city for $3.25 million in equipment to launch several new products.
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Lindal North America is a global leader in aerosol technology, and designer and manufacturer of valves, actuators and spray caps for aerosol products used in cosmetics, household products, pharmaceuticals, food and technical industries.
The company broke ground Tuesday on a new $20 million, 100,000-square-foot production facility in Columbus, to replace three buildings in Columbus and Hope. The new facility will house the company’s manufacturing operations, research and development activities, offices and warehouse.
Lindal North America’s parent company, Lindal Group, was established in 1959 in Germany, and production launched in Columbus in 2008.
Information: Visit lindalgroup.com
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