Isolated thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..
Isolated thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
PFNonwoven officials and community leaders cut a piece of the company’s latest nonwoven product in celebration of the $75 million expansion and new line. From left are Mark Jaros, chief investment and operations officer, and Chris Scuron, general manager, both of PFN; Bill Richards, district director, state Sen. John Yudichak’s office; Mary Malone, Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce president; Tom Gerhard, deputy district director, Congressman Dan Meuser’s office; Cedric Ballay, CEO, and Jason Hess, process engineer on Line 9, both of PFN; Jocelyn Sterenchock, director of economic development, CAN DO, Hazleton; George Hayden, Hayden Power Group, Hazleton; Greg Kurtz, director of operations, CAN DO; Mike Karcutskie, president, Quandel Construction Group; and Kevin McClafferty, Line 9 manager, PFN.
PFNonwovens recently celebrated an expansion and new line at its facility in Humboldt Industrial Park.
PFNonwoven officials and community leaders cut a piece of the company’s latest nonwoven product in celebration of the $75 million expansion and new line. From left are Mark Jaros, chief investment and operations officer, and Chris Scuron, general manager, both of PFN; Bill Richards, district director, state Sen. John Yudichak’s office; Mary Malone, Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce president; Tom Gerhard, deputy district director, Congressman Dan Meuser’s office; Cedric Ballay, CEO, and Jason Hess, process engineer on Line 9, both of PFN; Jocelyn Sterenchock, director of economic development, CAN DO, Hazleton; George Hayden, Hayden Power Group, Hazleton; Greg Kurtz, director of operations, CAN DO; Mike Karcutskie, president, Quandel Construction Group; and Kevin McClafferty, Line 9 manager, PFN.
PFNonwovens recently celebrated an expansion and new line at its facility in Humboldt Industrial Park.
HAZLE TWP. — A global manufacturer of hygiene-related nonwoven fabric celebrated a $75 million expansion and new line at its Humboldt Industrial Park facility Tuesday morning.
Cedric Ballay, CEO of PFNonwovens, which is headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, welcomed community leaders and partners that contributed to the expansion and product line at the company’s lone U.S. facility.
“We’re excited to launch our Line 9,” he said. “This line is key to our continued growth trajectory and will continue writing our great success story here in Hazleton and around the world.
“We wanted to share with the people who make it possible for us and celebrate a bit,” Ballay said.
Plant officials led those attending on a tour of the new 150,000-square-foot facility that houses the new line, which transforms polypropylene, a plastic polymer, into a soft textured fabric that’s used in hygiene products, mostly diapers.
“If you think about a diaper, it’s the top sheet that’s closest to the baby,” said Chris Scuron, general manager of the Hazleton facility, as he led a group of about 10 on a tour.
This soft, nonwoven fabric is also used for the back sheet of a diaper and the leg cuffs to ensure there aren’t leaks, he explained.
“It’s all those different components that go into a diaper,” Scuron said, adding that the company makes the fabric, but not the actual diaper.
PFNonwovens produces huge rolls of nonwoven fabric that is used by global manufacturers, such as Proctor and Gamble and Kimberly-Clark, and other privately branded firms that make hygiene products and diapers.
These rolls are then custom cut for clients — based on their needs and the type of product they’re making, Scuron said.
The process is mostly automated and computer controlled with oversight by trained technicians and operators. PFNonwovens brought on about 40 new employees with the expansion, he said.
“It’s really advanced manufacturing, a lot of computers, a lot of robotics and a very good workforce that has to use their heads,” Scuron said. “We need skilled folks in both maintenance and production.”
The new line occupies half the expansion, or about 75,000 square feet, with another 75,000 square feet of space ready for growth.
“This line really embodies what we at PFN and our supplier partners really strive for every day, which is state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing excellence with best-in-class quality,” Ballay said.
The Hazleton facility, which is considered a mega-facility at a total of 800,000 square feet, employs 370 people on four shifts, operating 24/7 to supply an expanding, global market.
“These fabrics continue to improve people’s life on a daily basis, and help bring a more sustainable world,” Ballay said.
PFNonwovens leadership is proud of its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint now and over the next decade, reusing and recycling as much material as possible in its manufacturing process.
Ballay thanked the community leaders and his company’s team alike for making the expansion possible, even with supply chain issues related to the pandemic.
Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589
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Kelly Monitz is a staff writer at the Standard-Speaker, Read More...
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