SPARTA, MI–With more than 179,000 sq ft of total space and a production area of 105,000 sq ft, tesa tape’s two-year renovation/expansion project at its first manufacturing site outside Europe–now 40+-years old,–is now complete. A Grand Opening ceremony was staged, Sept. 28, with local tesa employees and representatives from headquarters in Germany, as well as close partners and customers in attendance. Local dignataries were also on hand.
This investment marks a significant step for tesa in achieving its ambitious sustainability agenda, which includes transitioning to solvent-free production in all of its facilities and using bio-based and recycled raw materials in the long term.
tesa’s Sparta facility is pursuing a comprehensive strategy, The site now features an expanded Product and Technology Development Lab and a Customer Solution Center where partners can collaborate with tesa to test and develop more sustainable solutions. This step aims to strengthen tesa’s partnerships with customers and partners in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, offering comprehensive solutions from a single source.
“This is a special day for us,” said Tobias Banik, president and regional manager of tesa tape North America. “The completion of the site expansion, including the new equipment and the Customer Solution Center, represents a significant milestone for tesa, enhancing our presence in North America and our sustainability efforts. Our main work begins now, and we look forward to utilizing our new space to develop better, more sustainable products for and with our customers.”
“North America is an important region for us in which we want to grow strongly,” explained Dr Jörg Diesfeld, chief financial officer of tesa. Thanks to the expansion, tesa tape is adding 25 new jobs in Michigan. “To underscore this and align it with our sustainability goals, we have taken a strategic step in this direction with this major investment,” Diesfeld added “We have the right experts on site and the necessary facilities to achieve sustainable success. The expansion is not only about strengthening our presence in North America, but also about strengthening our global footprint, emphasizing our technical development focus, and driving innovation forward.”
With the completion of the construction work, the facility now boasts an additional 28,000 sq ft of manufacturing space,.This new area houses production equipment designed with a “zero waste” concept, which is expected to reduce natural gas consumption by approximately 40 percent, once the older machinery is permanently decommissioned later this year. The facility also includes a large product development area, in addition to the new Customer Solution Center. While this phase of construction is complete, another phase is set to begin, which will include the construction of a warehouse.
Jason Kirk, head of industry sales and marketing at tesa tape, said: “ We are now able to provide our customers with our more sustainable, solvent-free products. In addition, we can go into extensive testing with them on site and become even better and more accurate with the solutions we offer. This expansion continues to solidify our presence in Michigan, and we’re excited to continue growing that presence with our new Grand Rapids corporate office. The best is yet to come for tesa tape in North America!”