Rubber Fab and Garlock Announce Expansion of US Operations and Opening of Asia-Pacific Hub
Highlights:
- Rubber Fab expands manufacturing facility footprint to 20,000 square feet to accommodate increased manufacturing and inventory space
- Garlock, Rubber Fab’s parent company, has established an Asia-Pacific hub to support regional expansion
- Both companies will present industry solutions and cutting-edge technologies at INTERPHEX 2017
Sparta, N.J. (March 20, 2017) – Rubber Fab, a Garlock Hygienic Technologies Company and leading provider of critical process consumables for the pharmaceutical, bioprocessing and food and beverage sectors, has announced it has expanded its manufacturing facility in Sparta, N.J. The addition of more than 5,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space brings the total operational footprint to more than 20,000 square feet.
According to Rubber Fab General Manager, Gary Huether, the expansion was
necessitated by the continued growth the company has realized in the last few years, and especially since the acquisition by Garlock in 2016. “Our products and solutions continue to be highly regarded in the industry with demand rising fast,” said Huether. “Our increased manufacturing space allows us to hold the additional inventory required now that we incorporated some of Garlock’s products to the portfolio. It also offers a more efficient layout from which we can implement further improvements in hose assembly, product testing, quality assurance and many other areas. The expansion will also support our continued growth, and provide a better work environment for current and future staff. I think it underscores our commitment to both our customers and our employees – all of whom have been actively consulted as part of the expansion program.”
Additional activity has been announced in Asia, where Garlock, Rubber Fab’s parent company, has established Garlock Singapore as a master distributor, effectively creating an Asia-Pacific hub to support the fast expansion across the region. The new, 2,000 square foot facility is located in Woodlands, a district in northern Singapore. The site has been dedicated to supporting and growing the Rubber Fab business, with investment already made with significant inventory and further plans for hose assembly and customization services planned throughout 2017.
Stephen Doherty, global segment leader for Garlock, said, “The Asia-Pacific region presents great opportunities right now, but more importantly the pharmaceutical and food and beverage markets will experience significant growth in the coming years and we recognize the need for strong regional presence in order to support this growth.” Doherty continued to explain, “The investment in Garlock Singapore provides Rubber Fab with an incredible footprint in the heart of the region, allowing us to effectively serve our large network of Garlock locations as well as current and future customers with the same quality product but with local customer service, faster response times and shorter delivery schedules than we could ever offer from the U.S.”
Commenting on the progress made since the acquisition of Rubber Fab, Brad Lodge, VP global sales and business development for Garlock, explained, “The activity and investment that has been made during this first year highlights the great synergy that we always knew would exist between Garlock and Rubber Fab.” Lodge added, “The acquisition, integration and continued development of both businesses across the globe demonstrates our on-going commitment to this industry, and provides a superb blueprint for our future growth plans.”
Both Rubber Fab and Garlock will be presenting their industry solutions and cutting-edge technologies at INTERPHEX, March 21-23, 2017, in New York City. Experienced teams from both businesses will be on hand to explain how they are working together to create better products and better services for the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.
For more information about the full line of Rubber Fab products, visit www.rubberfab.com.
For more information about the full line of Garlock products, visit www.garlock.com.
About Rubber Fab
Rubber Fab is the leading innovator of high quality sanitary gaskets, hose, hose assemblies, tubing, pump, and filler machine components in a wide range of high purity and metal detectable/x-ray inspectable elastomeric materials. Rubber Fab’s metal detectable/x-ray inspectable products have been specifically designed to meet the guidelines set forth by the Food Safety Modernization Act.
About Garlock
Garlock®, an EnPro Industries family of companies, is the global leader in high performance fluid sealing products for industry and infrastructure. Garlock supplies the pharmaceutical industry with specialized seals and gasketing products designed to maintain cleanliness, traceability and adherence to FDA/USP requirements. In addition, the company is at the forefront of the development of food-grade gaskets and seals that ensure product integrity and consumer safety in the food and beverage/brewing and bottling markets.
About INTERPHEX INTERPHEX
(International Pharmaceutical Expo), sponsored by PDA (Parenteral Drug Association), is the single source for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device full product develop life cycle solutions to safely and cost effectively develop and manufacture all dosage forms with a unique combination of exhibition, no cost technical education, workshops, partnering opportunities, and networking events.