Perry Muse, Foam Products Corp., vice president of Manufacturing and general manager
Georgia-based Foam Products Corp., cut the ribbon on an expansion to its Erwin, Tenn., manufacturing facility Dec. 6. The company purchased the building which it had been leasing at a price of $5 million, according to Perry Muse, vice president of Manufacturing and general manager. In addition, the company has invested more than $5 million in equipment for the facility in the last decade, and another $1 million in the current expansion.
“It’s going to bring in approximately 15 new jobs,” said Erik Arnold, president. “In a day when so many companies are moving to lower cost areas that might allow different advantages for them, we’re proud to invest in Unicoi County and continue our growth here.”
The plant manufactures foam underlayments for hardwood and other hard surface flooring, Muse said. “We make the top of the line. We were the first manufacturers of these products in America as a private label for another firm. Since that time, we developed our own product lines.”
“This facility is responsible for making the majority of our underlayments,” Arnold said. “We make some of the industry’s best acoustic underlayments for floor covering. We actually incorporate several hundred tons of used tires annually into our product. These are post-consumer, recycled tires. So, it’s one thing to be doing business and have lots of jobs here, which is great and we’re very proud of that, but to be able to say we’re doing something good for the environment by using recycled tires in our product, that is important too.”
In addition to the underlayments, the plant manufactures women’s undergarments on a contract basis for a well-known company which Muse declined to identify. “They’re a major company,” he said.
