Oldcastle announces new facility

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Jewell, an Oldcastle Company, has announced it expects its a new state-of-art, 23,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Burnet County to be operational by the end of December 2017.

The multi-million dollar plant is located on the east side of US 281, not far from the intersection with Farm to Market Road 1855, about six miles north of Marble Falls and seven miles south of Burnet. The 15-acre tract will include an on-site quarry for raw materials.

This new plant will service Central Texas, including the Austin and San Antonio markets, according to a company press release Wednesday, Dec. 13. A grand opening is planned for late February or some time in March.

Founded in 1936 with manufacturing operations based in Katy, Waco, Hurst, and Rosenberg, Jewell services the Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma markets as part of the Oldcastle Architectural Products Group (APG) network of companies. Jewell also operates seven distribution facilities in the areas of Houston, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Although not directly confirmed the company announcement, according to discussions within county government in July, the plant ultimately could employ as many as 75 workers.

“Jewell is pleased and excited to bring employment opportunities to the Burnet community with the addition of this new manufacturing business,” said Dan Hamblen, Jewell president. “This addition to our existing production facilities will serve a critical role in supplying high-growth markets in the residential and commercial sectors throughout our region.”

Hamblen notes there have been few concrete dry mix plants constructed in the past few decades, so this state-of-the-art, ultra-modern concrete production facility is meaningful to the industry, as well as to worker safety, the environment and the local community. He said equipment around dust control and collection will be in place, equipment guarding and automatic shut-off equipment is used and silo safety equipment will be utilized.

“In short, employee and environmental safety is engineered into our new plant,” he said.

“The new plant represents future sustained growth and confidence by Oldcastle, not only in our company and brands, but in the entire industry,” he said. “We are excited for the future of masonry, both here in Texas and nationwide.”

Lhiost North America is the lime producer at the site and Oldcastle has a mining lease for aggregates, but the plant will continue under current permits.

The Burnet County facility will be dedicated to Oldcastle’s leading concrete and mortar brands that include Sakrete, Techniseal and Amerimix, serving the DIY, commercial masonry and professional contractor markets.

“The new plant allows us to produce our product lines in a very safe and efficient manner and to continue Jewell’s growth in our respective markets,” said Pat Miller, Jewell’s vice president of operations.

“This new, strategic investment in Oldcastle APG/Jewell manufacturing is the latest example of our sustained commitment to masonry and the concrete dry mix industry,” said Tim Ortman, President of Oldcastle APG. “The new facility will help support and grow our Sakrete, Amerimix and Techniseal brands, making them available on a wider scale and fuel continued growth in key markets. Masonry – a time tested and effective solution- remains a central cog in our Architectural Products Group portfolio capable of meeting the needs of today’s market few others can match.”

The plant will support the platform that brings Echelon’s Amerimix Water Repellent Mortar (WRM) to the pro masonry market, which now features an ongoing campaign urging contractors to “Ditch the Sand Pile” to save time and job efficiencies with a quality pre-blended mortar.

Amerimix mortars can be mixed 50 percent faster and are available in a portfolio of masonry colors.

When used with concrete masonry units that contain Oldcastle’s partner, RainBloc GP, the system creates a superior moisture barrier that inhibits water penetration. Sakrete is the company’s easy-to-blend, easy-to-use, DIY bagged concrete mix that helps any homeowner complete their outdoor projects.

Techniseal complements Oldcastle’s Belgard concrete pavers as a preferred jointing material. It seals paver joints but remains flexible to prevent cracking.

Learn more at www.jewellcp.com and www.OldcastleAPG.com.