Hot Mix: Pavement Industry News from Ennis Flint, Multiquip & More

Ennis-Flint Expands Manufacturing

Ennis-Flint, Thomasville, NC, which currently has three glass bead and three thermoplastic facilities in the United States, is adding to those numbers with construction of two new manufacturing facilities in North Carolina. One plant will produce glass beads, which are added to pavement marking materials to enhance the night-time visibility of the markings. The second plant will produce hot-applied thermoplastic pavement marking material.

“In 2014, Ennis-Flint purchased 80 acres of land near our corporate headquarters looking ahead to this type of structural expansion. We’re excited to see our vision come to fruition, enabling us to meet and exceed market demand within these two product categories,” said Matt Soule, Ennis-Flint president-Americas.

Both of the new facilities, which will employ 32 full-time and 18 seasonally, are expected to be open next spring. Including the new facilities, Ennis-Flint will have 22 manufacturing locations on four continents and will collectively supply products to over 90 countries.

 

Multiquip Opens California Facility

Multiquip has opened a new production facility for its MQ Power generators near its Carson, CA, headquarters. The new 28,000-sq.-ft. facility enables Multiquip to shorten response times for modification and customization requests. “The new site also supports engineering and research and development efforts that have made MQ Power products the industry’s technology leader,” said Mike Howlett, senior vice president, manufacturing. He said the new location improves customer support for Southern California and expands distribution for the Western United States. In planning the facility Multiquip chose to minimize the environmental impact by including a wash area utilizing 100% recycled water and full containment area to capture any spills on site.

 

Carnell to lead U.S. division of Atlas Copco

Scott Carnell is president of the U.S. division of Atlas Copco Construction, Rock Hill, SC. He succeeds Erik Sparby, who becomes general manager, Customer Center CR Greater China.

“Atlas Copco has always been committed to the success of this industry, which is also something I’m passionate about,” Carnell said. “I look forward to driving that commitment and building our support network in North America even further.”

Carnell brings more than 32 years of industry experience to his role, the last 10 of which have been with Atlas Copco. Carnell served as the business line manager for the Atlas Copco portable energy business area, where he led the market expansion of the air compressor and generator lines. Just prior to his new role, Carnell was the president of Atlas Copco Rental in North America, based in LaPorte, Texas.

Carnell said he looks forward to renewing relationships with the construction industry, including dealers and rental centers as well as with the Atlas Copco support team. His depth of knowledge of the company and product lines will provide a seamless transition and allow him to ramp up efforts quickly while his fresh perspective will help drive growth even faster.  

“It’s not just about me or Atlas Copco,” Carnell said. “It’s about the customers and what they need, Atlas Copco and the equipment it can provide them, and our strong support team. I want to help bring that all together.”

Carnell will be based in Rock Hill where Atlas Copco’s new 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will open the spring of 2017. The new Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-certified space will help the company grow with customers’ demands and offer a wide reach of customer support.

“Our new, larger plant shows our continued investment in the North American market and I look forward to seeing its impact,” Carnell said. “We are not just talking about growing or being the best, we are putting the money and effort behind it so we can give customers here what they want and need to be successful.”

 

Last Chance to Enter for Pavement Awards

Contractors still have a few weeks to enter their 2016 jobs for recognition in the annual Pavement Awards. Awards categories are:

• Paving: Parking Lot
• Paving: Non-Parking Lot
• Seal & Stripe: Small Job
• Seal & Stripe: Large Job
• Good Neighbor (charitable work)

Deadline for entry is November 1 and awards will be presented at the 2017 National Pavement Expo, Feb. 1-4 in Nashville.

Visit www.ForConstructionPros.com/PavementAwards to enter.

 

Crafco to Acquire Texas Manufacturing Location

Crafco Inc., Chandler, AZ, announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase a manufacturing location in Naples, TX. The acquisition of the 100,000-sq.-ft. building, situated on 50 acres, was expected to be completed in September.

Crafco, an Ergon company, said the new facility will produce Crafco’s highway maintenance and preservation products as well as specialty waterproofing and roofing products. Crafco said the plant is strategically located to service its growing markets in Texas and surrounding states.

At press time dates for the start-up of the facility had not been announced.

                    

Industry Appointments

At Sakai America Inc., Adairsville, GA, Joseph Seckinger is Southeast district manager, and Dale Wilson is national light equipment sales manager.

At the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), Fredericksburg, VA, Nate Smith is now vice president of government relations. Also at ATSSA, Jessica Scheyder was recently promoted to director of training after serving as associate director of training and products for almost three years.