Knauf Insulation's Shelbyville Plant I production facility in Shelbyville, Ind., is already generating customer-ready fiberglass insulation from two of its four manufacturing lines after being struck by fire February 16, company officials said on February 20.
The blaze started in an office area of Knauf's Plant I complex and was contained before spreading into the manufacturing facility. With power restored, two of the plant's four production lines are now back in production; a third line will be operational by February 21 and the fourth line is expected to be operational by mid-week.
"We owe another thanks to the firefighters and other emergency personnel who responded so quickly and brought the fire under control," said Knauf president Robert Claxton. "Their efforts made it possible for us to be up and running so soon. Our employees are also doing a remarkable job of restoring our production capabilities, clean up and repair work."
Knauf employees impacted by the fire are being called back to work as manufacturing resumes, with personnel expected at full strength over the next few days. The company sees no further impact on employment.
Claxton also confirmed earlier reports that Knauf's $220 million Plant I expansion project was undamaged by the fire.
"We're investing heavily to grow our production capacity here in Shelbyville," he said. "Fortunately, the new construction was unaffected by the fire and we're moving forward according to schedule – in fact, we have contracting crews on-site continuing their work on the Plant I project."
Investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
Knauf Insulation is a leading global manufacturer of thermal and acoustical insulations for residential, commercial, industrial, OEM and metal building applications.