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By Dana Shaffer
Rubber & Plastics News Staff

Beaver opens third plant, leads in hose yarn market

Mansfield, Ga. - There was a time when Beaver Manufacturing Co. housed its yarn-treating capabilities in an old movie theater.

Now the company has a 65-percent North American market share in rubber hose yarn reinforcement and has positioned itself as a global supplier and a servant in its community, according to Chief Operating Officer Bill Loeble.

Long gone is the movie theater. Beaver had the grand opening of its third plant, a 40,000-sq.-ft. twisting facility, in conjunction with its 35th anniversary celebration in November. The project cost about $5 million, and the site is about a mile and a half from its first two plants in Mansfield, Loeble said. The company employs 185 people.

Plant 3, which sits on 23 acres of land, will be the site of future expansions, he said. And because Beaver moved its twisting equipment out of its other facilities, it has more room for growth at the other two plants.

The executive said that growth is already occurring.

"Even since Plant 3 opened up, we've bought more winding equipment," Loeble said. He said future purchases will take place as the need arises, with a conscious effort to avoid bottlenecking in production.

Loeble said the company is focusing on purchasing top-of-the line equipment for its plants to stay on top of changes globally.

"What happened was when the company was founded, it was a small, nice little family business with re-engineered equipment, and we did that for a long time," he said. "Then we felt like it was necessary to have state-of-the-art equipment to match any requirements anywhere in the world."

That eye on the global market has caused the company to look at production sites in Mexico and Europe, but those plans weren't a good fit at the time, Loeble said.

"The dynamic of the market was such tat we decided to expand here," he said.

Company shares love of learningMansfield, GA - The owners of Beaver Manufacturing Co. might love their work in rubber hose yarn reinforcement, but they have another love as well.

"The owners have a passion for education that's infused into the company," said Chief Operating Officer Bill Loeble.

The firm took Mansfield Elementary School, two blocks from its main plant, under its wing. In the past 20 years, the company has donated about $100,000-$200,000 just in financial services, Loeble estimated.

Such donations have included books for the schools's media center, savings bonds for straight-A students and playground equipment.

Beaver isn't alone in its giving spirit. Loeble said Beaver suppliers Teijin Twaron and Diolen Industrial Fibers also made donations to the school to honor the company during its 35th anniversary celebration in November.

The company also has become active in local tutoring programs and in creating educational tools for the library, he said. Additionally, it offers learning opportunities to its own staff and offers financial support for those who return to school.