Groundbreaking ceremony: Röchling proposes a $4.9 million warehouse expansion project at Röchling Glastic Composites, Cleveland, that will add 26 new positions over a 3-year period
Left front: Uwe Kassens, Director Europe Composites and Global Technical Director Pultrusion; Fred Sanford, Managing Director Röchling Glastic Composites; Georgine Welo, Mayor, City of South Euclid; Sunny Simon, Councilwoman Cuyahoga County Council; Marty Gelfund, Council President Pro-Tem City of South Euclid Council; Dennis Fiorelli, President, City of South Euclid Council
Left back: Anthony Osterman, Controller Röchling Glastic Composites; Michael Love, Economic Development Director, City of South Euclid; Susan Hardy, Councilwoman Elect City of South Euclid; Len Calabrese, Treasurer, One South Euclid; Lisa Mack, President One South Euclid; Not in the picture: Jean-Paul Klecha, Director Europe Composites
Röchling Glastic Composites is the competence centre for composites of Röchling Industrial in North America. Röchling Industrial regularly invest in modern systems and equipment at the site in Cleveland. This will be Röchling Glastic Composites’ fourth expansion since the construction of its original facility in 1951. The project will help secure projected growth for the company and create 26 new jobs in the South Euclid area by the end of 2022.
Franz Lübbers, CEO Röchling Industrial, points out: “Our business volumes in Cleveland have grown constantly over the last years. With the new capacities we can further improve our delivery capacity for composites and the service for our customers. I am very confident that our strong team in Cleveland will continue to grow its business in the coming years.”
Röchling Glastic Composites (formerly Glastic Corp.), founded in 1946, is a world pioneer in the commercial fiberglass products industry. Today, its primary business includes the production of semi-finished sheet, rod, and profile stock for fabricated components in electrical equipment and infrastructure, and thermal insulation for common plastic, rubber, and oil and gas processing. The company projects to employ 125 people by end of 2020, up from the 104 staff employed at the beginning of this project. Many positions at this location are held by local residents who grew up in surrounding neighbourhoods.
Fred Sanford, Managing Director Röchling Glastic Composites, stated: “The investment will allow us to broaden business relations with our customers. That in turn will enable us to ensure the sustainable, long-term growth of the company and create additional jobs as well.”
This expansion has been in planning for the past two years and is now being realized to its fullest, owing to true collaboration with the City of South Euclid, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio.
Mayor Georgine Welo expressed: “This marks a great day for South Euclid. My administration and City Council are proud to support Röchling Glastic Composites to realize this significant expansion. Röchling Glastic serves as the anchor of South Euclid's industrial corridor. We expect the new jobs and other benefits coming from this cooperation will spur additional development in our industrial area.”
“Röchling Glastic Composites is one of South Euclid’s oldest businesses, having been located in the City for nearly 75 years,” said Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Sunny M. Simon. “Röchling Glastic is a great asset to region surrounding South Euclid. I am pleased to be part of this project that will create new jobs and retain existing ones in our community.”
A global leader in specialty plastics production, Germany-based Röchling Group acquired Glastic Corp. in 2007.
