Selit North America Inc. will invest US$45 million in an extruded polystyrene foam plant in Banks County, Georgia. The company is a sister company of Selit Dämmtechnik GmbH in Erbes-Büdesheim, Germany.

The plant will be commissioned by the end of 2019 and will focus on extruding thin PS foam for sound insulation and thermal insulation of floating floors such as laminate, parquet and vinyl flooring systems. Both DIY customers and floor manufacturers use this thin foam.

Daniel Stratenhoff, Selit North America's chief financial officer, stated in an email that the Banks County project will become Selit's new North American headquarters. The company's current sales office in Atlanta will be relocated to the new headquarters. Banks County is located approximately 80 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Stratenhoff declined to disclose the size of the Banks County plant, but the company said in a press release that the project will create about 100 jobs and the plant will include manufacturing and administrative staff.

Selit established the first PS extrusion line in Plattsburgh, New York in 2010 and began production in North America. A second production line was installed in 2013, increasing the annual production capacity to 432 million square feet of extruded PS foam. Around that time, Plattsburgh also installed a recycling plant to collect waste and return it to the production process.

In Europe, Selit is the leader in thin PS foam for floor underlayment. It manufactures and sells a wide range of thin PS foams to absorb vibration and sound when laid under a floating floor. The thickness of the foam is usually 3 mm or less. Some products contain polyurethane, but these products are not yet sold in North America.

Extruded PS foam liner has been established in Europe, but it is not yet mature in North America, because cheap polyethylene foam board now dominates. Selit North America claims that it has the largest market share of similar products in Europe.

“Our product line is full of innovative ideas that can add value to the DIY industry and the flooring industry, benefiting craft companies and home repairers throughout North America,” said Marco Seitner, a shareholder of Selit North America, in an August report. . 20 Press release.

Due to easy installation, Selit's products are becoming more and more popular. Kees Schellingerhoudt, President of Selit North America, explained in a telephone interview that for DIY installers, these products are usually fan-shaped folding panels that are easy to unfold and place under laminate, wood and tile floors.

Stratenhoff stated that Selit North America will keep the Plattsburgh facility open when operations in Banks County begin. The Plattsburgh plant also produces non-flooring products. He declined to say what products Banks County will produce.

In Europe, Selit has been expanding and modernizing its Erbes-Büdesheim production and warehouse space. The subsidiary Selit-Por Schaumfolien GmbH also recently expanded in Blomberg, Germany.

In June 2017, NMC International sarl acquired a majority stake in the two Selit companies by purchasing the shares held by Marco and Rouven Seitner. NMC is a synthetic foam specialist headquartered in Weiswapach, Luxembourg. Selit estimated last year that the combined company's annual sales will reach approximately 270 million euros ($310.5 million) and the number of employees will exceed 1,800.

"Georgia, especially Banks County, has become our preferred location and partner for its highly professional economic development methods," Rouven Seitner, Selit's North American shareholder, noted in a press release.

Banks County is a sparsely populated area in northeastern Georgia. It is the birthplace of Tycob, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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