In July, we received this information about Clinton’s newest corporate citizen:
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Nordson Industrial Coating Systems (ICS) is excited to be establishing a new manufacturing facility in Laurens County.
The $30 million investment will create more than 125 new production, machining, engineering, and management jobs.
Nordson ICS customers rely on Nordson’s equipment for the precise application and curing of powder coatings, liquid paint, ambient temperature adhesives and sealants, and food and beverage container production. For example, customers use the ICS division’s products to apply precise coatings to hub caps, dishwashers, and soda cans to prevent corrosion.
The new facility will be located at 19375 Highway 72 E, Clinton, SC.
Individuals interested in joining Nordson’s winning ICS division team should visit www.nordson.sctechjobs.com.
On April 2, we saw that vision become reality; and, wow, I just have to tell you, it is good to see an industry take a chance on Clinton again. This is a community hit hard by the demise of textiles and closings of plants like Anderson Floors and Renfro. A stalwart industry, Sterilite, and a new industry, Blue Diamond, have given us an industrial presence; and the City of Clinton has done its part, along with the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, in developing, building, and marketing two “spec” buildings.
But, frankly, month after month, we get announcements from the State Department of Commerce of plants going elsewhere - and they run the gamut from small manufacturing to what is reported to be a mega-plant negotiating with Spartanburg County.
Former City Manager Tom Brooks once said a potential tenant for the Renfro building was not able to “bite” because the City could not supply enough electricity (sounds like a data center).
But on April 2, all that was set aside. Laurens County welcomed Nordson ICS, which took the City’s second “spec” building and doubled its size. Chris and I were returning on Friday from Columbia and got off I-26 at Clinton’s gateway, glanced right before turning left, and there was Nordson.
It was a great sight.
David Titone, VP of the Nordson ICS Division, told assembled guests and employees at the April 2 ribbon-cutting that the Westlake, Ohio, company has facilities and employees all around the world, but “we wouldn’t want to build any other place except our beloved Clinton, South Carolina, and Laurens County.”
The contractor for the expansion started moving trees last February 22 - a mounted shovel in the plant’s lobby marks the occasion - and Titone said the team assigned to bring the Clinton plant to operation succeeded in their task with minimal disruption to the company’s clients.
“Our team took the challenge on and completed the challenge,” he said. I don’t work for a corporation, but I would imagine a word like that, in public, from the Vice-President is a “wow” moment in the corporate life of this team.
Titone said Nordson and its Executive Leadership Team “will continue to embrace our core values and execute our vision on behalf of customers and shareholders, (and make the Clinton facility) a place that is welcoming and inviting; we are thrilled to start this chapter with everyone in the community.”
Titone is observing his 35th year with the company, said Sundaram Nagaranjan, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We solve problems for our customers, and that’s how we built our company. Nordson got started as ICS (Integrated Coating Systems), and we are investing back in the legacy of the company. We make a lot of machines that make our customers successful in what they intend to do, whether it’s hub caps, dishwashers, and Coke cans, but we do a lot of things to prevent corrosion.”
A representative of the company’s founding family attended the Clinton plant’s official opening. Clinton Mayor Randy Randall and Jon Coleman, Executive Director of the Laurens County Development Corporation, presented the community’s welcome.
Nordson received a Laurens County gift, which was displayed on a table in the same lobby where the ground-breaking shovel is displayed on a wall. Visitors and employees enjoyed a Shealy’s BBQ lunch, and food from India was also available (a first for me to sample). Nordson officials were especially complementary to readySC and Piedmont Technical College for workforce training.
Last Tuesday, at the Clinton gateway, we saw the public-private partnership at its best. Welcome, Nordson!
Contact Vic MacDonald at 864-833-1900.
