American Textile Company Opens Manufacturing Facility in Tifton, Ga.

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, American Textile Company (ATC) officially marks the opening of its new Tifton, Ga. manufacturing facility with a grand opening celebration. As a major manufacturer of basic bedding, ATC chose Tifton as a manufacturing location to strategically service the Company's customers in the Southeast. The 218,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility will manufacture bed pillows, one of the key product categories for future product expansion by the Company. The opening of the Tifton facility finalizes ATC's nationwide pillow manufacturing strategy.

The facility will employ 65 people initially. "In a remarkably short time, the Company has completed facility renovations and brought manufacturing capabilities online. The efforts of these dedicated employees have enabled us to begin manufacturing pillows immediately," commented Mark Bachner, Senior Vice President of Operations for ATC.

"Today's grand opening symbolizes American Textile Company's commitment to providing quality service to our customers throughout the U.S. and Canada," said Lance Ruttenberg, President and Chief Operating Officer. "By manufacturing and shipping pillows from strategically planned locations throughout the country, we have reduced transportation costs for many of our customers and reduced delivery times."

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American Textile Company Opening Manufacturing Facility in Tifton, Ga

/PRNewswire/ -- American Textile Company (ATC) continues its growth in manufacturing bed pillows and utility bedding by announcing the opening of a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Tifton, Ga.

The 218,000 square foot facility, leased from the Tifton County Development Authority, is strategically located to service ATC's customers in the Southeast. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will begin by manufacturing bed pillows, one of the key items offered by ATC. "The opening of the Tifton facility completes our strategic nationwide pillow distribution strategy," said John Riccio, Chief Financial Officer for ATC. "With pillow manufacturing facilities in Duquesne, Pa.; Salt Lake City, Ut.; Dallas, Tx.; and now Tifton, Ga., we can efficiently ship bed pillows across the United States and Canada. We are thrilled with our interaction at the state and local level that executed this plan in a short period of time."

In addition to Georgia's pro-business climate, the company selected the Tifton, Ga. location from among competitive sites due to its strategic location to customers with distribution centers in the Southeast, access to a skilled textile workforce, low cost of doing business, and incentives provided by the State of Georgia. Customers with distribution points in the Southeast will benefit from a significant reduction in their freight costs. "Providing cost effective and efficient service to our customers is the cornerstone to our continued success," said Mark Bachner, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing for ATC.

The facility will open at the end of Q1 2011 and will employee 50 people immediately. A total of 120 people will be employed at the facility by the end of 2016.

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Suniva Awarded $5.7 Million in Clean Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Suniva®, Inc., a U.S. based high-efficiency solar manufacturer, today announced it received $5.7 million in Recovery Act Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credits to expand its solar cell manufacturing facility in Norcross, GA.

“In little more than a year, Suniva built the capacity to produce hundreds of millions of dollars worth of solar technology, and we’ve created over 130 green jobs in the process”

Suniva started producing monocrystalline solar cells at its Norcross facility in October 2008 and now operates two solar cell production lines with an annual capacity of 100 MW. Currently, Suniva is preparing to construct its third manufacturing line in Norcross, which will increase production capacity by 75 percent and create more than 50 manufacturing jobs in 2010.

“In little more than a year, Suniva built the capacity to produce hundreds of millions of dollars worth of solar technology, and we’ve created over 130 green jobs in the process,” said Suniva CEO John Baumstark. “These tax credits enable us to continue expanding and supplying the rapidly growing American solar market with products developed in American laboratories and made by American workers.”

Suniva’s technology was developed through research conducted by Suniva founder and CTO Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi at the University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP), a U.S. Department of Energy-funded laboratory. Suniva’s solar cells and modules are installed globally in solar systems in the United States, Europe and Asia, including India’s first large-scale solar project located in West Bengal.

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Vega Accepting Bids for Construction of Georgia Manufacturing Plant

/PRNewswire/ -- VEGA PROMOTIONAL SYSTEMS, INC. (Pink OTC: VGPR) announced today it is accepting bids for the construction of its Georgia fuel pellet manufacturing plant.

The proposed 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility will be located in Tifton, Georgia and will manufacture energy efficient pellet fuel from organic waste bi-products located within the State.

The Company will capitalize on the abundance of biomass in Georgia's Bioenergy Corridor and when completed, the new facility will have the capacity to produce several hundred thousand metric tons of biomass fuel pellets annually.

The State of Georgia ranks third in the nation as a potential source of renewable energy. The amount of privately owned forests in Georgia, more than any other state in the country, is the reason for the State's ranking.

The Company recently announced it is seeking financial assistance from the State of Georgia to build its manufacturing plant. When complete, the facility will create nearly 200 direct or indirect green jobs and address state energy priorities to adopt emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Parties interested in bidding on the construction of the plant should visit the Company's website at www.vegabiofuels.com for more information and to receive a detailed bid package.

The Company will announce additional details about the Georgia manufacturing plant as the project moves forward.

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "forecast," "project," "intend," "expect" "should," "would," and similar expressions and all statements, which are not historical facts, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (finance or operating) or achievements to differ from future results, performance (financing and operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

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NCR Opens New ATM Manufacturing Facility in Columbus, Ga.

(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) today (October 29) opens its new ATM manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ga., rolling out its first NCR SelfServ™ ATMs and bringing innovative manufacturing back to North America. In less than five months after announcing plans to build a domestic manufacturing facility, NCR was able to open the 350,000 square-foot facility and begin production of ATM machines for its North American customers.

The company celebrated the opening at its Corporate Ridge Business Park plant with key officials and elected representatives from the City of Columbus and the State of Georgia, who participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony, a tour of the manufacturing plant and an opportunity to see the production of some of the first NCR ATM machines being built at the new site.

NCR has filed for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification—the Green Building Rating System that is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. The company has also reused and recycled materials throughout the building, from the initial demolition, such as cinder blocks and carpet.

“Our decision to bring our North American ATM manufacturing in-house was driven by our belief that as self-service ATM technology becomes more innovative and strategic to financial institutions, the ability to control manufacturing in key markets becomes a core and competitive advantage to our growth strategy,” said Peter Dorsman, senior vice president of Global Operations at NCR. “By in-sourcing the production of our SelfServ ATMs, we will decrease time-to-market, improve our internal collaboration, and lower our current operating costs.”

Approximately 870 jobs will be created at a new Columbus, Ga., site over the next three years. With the help of the state and local government, NCR has already hired and trained nearly 120 employees through Georgia’s Quick Start Program – a customized workforce-training program for businesses across the state. Quick Start has been instrumental in supporting NCR to drive comprehensive employee training plans, create assessment programs and establish a mindset in each employee to strive for continuous improvement efforts.

“Georgia’s strategic strengths in advanced manufacturing will help drive the success of NCR’s new facility in Columbus,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “We have an innovative edge here in Georgia that has enabled companies to thrive, and NCR is a perfect fit as it manufactures its next-generation ATMs and self-serve devices for the North American market.”

The City of Columbus offered a location with a talented workforce, close proximity to major transportation hubs such as Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and many of Georgia’s highly esteemed academic institutions. The new facility is also close to NCR’s innovation center in Duluth, Ga., and the company’s global customer service organization in Peachtree City, Ga.

In addition, NCR’s campus-like ecosystem between its partners, suppliers and Georgia’s academic institutions will help drive and improve cross-functional collaboration, training and innovation -- ensuring that NCR’s manufacturing process is cutting edge.

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NCR to Build Innovation Hub and Manufacturing Plant in Brazil, Boosting Jobs in the High Tech Segment

(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) announced today that it will create a new manufacturing and research and development center in Brazil to produce technologically advanced, high availability automated teller machines (ATMs) for Brazil, Latin America, and Caribbean markets. The innovation center and manufacturing facility will expand over time to include self-service technologies for a variety of industries.

The new innovation hub will initially create approximately 250 new jobs and enable NCR to deliver world-class solutions and strengthen its competitive position in Brazil, which is a key market in NCR’s growth strategy. Brazil is the third largest ATM market in the world. Retail Banking Research predicts that the Brazil ATM market will grow 16 percent by 2012.

“NCR has been doing business in Brazil for 73 years," said Bill Nuti, NCR’s chairman and chief executive officer. "Our strategic decision to develop an innovation and manufacturing hub for self-service technology in Brazil is yet another step in our commitment to this important market. This investment will move us further towards our goal of becoming Brazil's largest self-service solutions provider and the leader in ATM market share. With this new capability, we believe we will be better positioned to take market share by providing leading hardware, software and service solutions, tailored specifically to meet the needs of our customers and fulfilling our goals of growing our business, while lowering our operating costs. As we invest and create high tech jobs, we will continue to look at our options for further investment in this vital emerging market.”

NCR’s ATM production in the region is currently outsourced to a contract manufacturer. ATM manufacturing and product development will be moved to NCR’s new facility and production is anticipated to begin by December 2009.

NCR will initially invest over R$73 million in building its capabilities in Brazil. The company will manufacture NCR SelfServ, the industry’s newest range of ATMs that are proven to have the highest levels of performance and availability for consumers. In addition, NCR will look to design and engineer specific products to meet the needs of our customers in Brazil.

Financial institutions in Brazil have large ATM estates and require custom design ATMs to deliver their branded look and feel; others require features such as biometric identification and check printers, while all require some variation of high security features.

Earlier this month, NCR announced it will establish a new North American ATM manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ga., creating 870 new jobs that did not exist in NCR previously. All North American ATM manufacturing will take place from the Columbus facility, which will begin ATM production early in the fourth quarter 2009.

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Pliant Announces Expansion Plans for Dalton, GA Facility

/PRNewswire/ -- Harold Bevis, Chief Executive Officer of Pliant Corporation announced today that Pliant will be keeping the Dalton, GA manufacturing facility open, and in fact, has plans to upgrade and expand it. Stabilized markets, strong customer preference and local and state incentives led to this decision by Pliant.

"The city of Dalton, Dalton Utilities, Whitfield County and the Georgia Department of Economic Development have created a very appealing place to do business and grow. Governor Sonny Perdue's support of our expansion plans and the favorable manufacturing environment were instrumental in our decision. We envision the Dalton facility becoming a second Medical Center of Excellence to complement the Medical Center of Excellence under construction in Danville, Kentucky. Since the closure announcement in April, 2008, Dalton personnel have continued to operate safely, efficiently and professionally. We are very pleased to express our appreciation of that commitment, and we are now able to secure their future with Pliant," stated Mr. Bevis.

Pliant also operates 2 additional facilities in the state of Georgia, and is in the process of expanding their Washington facility in Wilkes County.

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Nordson Swainsboro and Dawsonville, Georgia, Facilities Recognized as Winner and Finalist in Industry Week Magazine’s 2008 Best Manufacturing Plants C

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two of Nordson Corporation’s (NASDAQ - NDSN) manufacturing facilities have been named among North America’s Best Plants for 2008 by Industry Week magazine. Nordson’s Swainsboro, Georgia, facility has been selected as a winner, one of the ten best plants, in the annual competition. Nordson’s Dawsonville, Georgia, facility was named as a finalist, one of the 20 best plants in 2008.

The Nordson Swainsboro facility, which was a finalist in the 2007 Industry Week Best Plants competition, manufactures ProBlue® adhesive melters, the world’s leading hot melt adhesive dispensing systems, as well as ProBlue® Fulfill™ integrated fill systems, Classic™ XIV melters, Blue Series™ dispensing guns and modules and Saturn® nozzles and solenoids. These products and systems are used in the packaging of consumer products and in a wide variety of industrial and consumer durable goods assembly applications. The Nordson Dawsonville facility produces Universal™, Signature™, SureWrap™, CF®, Summit™ and PatternJet™ applicators, guns, modules and nozzles. These products are used in the manufacture of baby diapers and disposable hygienic products and in food, beverage and consumer product labeling.

Established in 1990, Industry Week’s annual competition salutes plants that are on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. The competition encourages manufacturing managers and work teams to emulate the honorees by adopting world-class practices, technologies and improvement strategies.

Entrants are judged on criteria including: proactive environmental and safety practices; operational improvements; agile production systems; supplier partnerships; customer focus; employee empowerment; quality systems; management practices; and manufacturing capability.

In 2007, while implementing lean manufacturing and continuous improvement programs, the Swainsboro facility entered the Industry Week competition in order to benchmark itself against other leading North American manufacturing plants. Now, only two years later, the facility has exceeded its original lean manufacturing goals and has been recognized as one of the top ten plants in North America.

“The Swainsboro Team is extremely pleased to be recognized by Industry Week magazine as one of its Best Plants,” says Scott Rosenau, production manager at the Swainsboro facility. “This is a goal we’ve pursued over two years, and we're thrilled to reach this level of performance. I'm extremely proud of the team here and want to thank the outlying Nordson groups that helped contribute to our success.”

“Our Swainsboro and Dawsonville facilities have been able to enhance and tighten every aspect of our production, improve our global competitiveness and increase our levels of community service and involvement,” says John Keane, senior vice president, Nordson Adhesive Systems division. “We’re excited to have not one, but two of our plants recognized by Industry Week, and feel confident as the culture of continuous improvement is proliferating throughout all of our manufacturing facilities.”

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Simmons Consolidates Atlanta Manufacturing Operations into Existing Facilities

BUSINESS WIRE --Simmons Bedding Company announced today that it is transitioning its Atlanta manufacturing operations to the company’s facilities in Dallas, Texas; Waycross, Ga. and Charlotte, N.C. with an anticipated effective date of September 18. The move is part of an ongoing effort to optimize Simmons’ operations network in the southeastern United States and will create a more efficient production and delivery system without disrupting service to retailers in the region.

“The decision to close our Atlanta manufacturing facility is a very difficult one for us because of its impact on loyal Simmons associates,” said Simmons Chairman and CEO Charlie Eitel. “Until recently, we believed our Atlanta facility would continue to be part of our manufacturing network; however, due to weaker than expected business conditions, we simply could not justify maintaining two manufacturing plants in the state of Georgia.”

In 2004, Simmons opened a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Waycross, Ga., which has emerged as one of the top manufacturing plants in the Simmons network. Employing 211 associates, the facility offers excellent safety, quality and service, as well as lower manufacturing costs.

This past April, Simmons reduced its Atlanta production to one shift and moved a portion of business to what is also a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dallas. The balance of Atlanta’s production will shift to the Waycross and Charlotte plants on September 18.

According to Kimberly Samon, Simmons’ executive vice president of human resources, the company decided to consolidate its southeast manufacturing operations because of reduced utilization. “Due to the current economic situation, our southeastern facilities have not been operating at full capacity,” said Samon. “Consolidating our manufacturing operations resolves that issue; however, we regret that it will negatively impact our Atlanta associates. We have no further plans to close other facilities.”

The Waycross, Dallas and Charlotte plants are three of Simmons’ leading manufacturing facilities: the Waycross plant has been nominated for the Georgia Manufacturer of the Year award each of the past two years and features a new 250,000 square foot building that showcases lean manufacturing; in April 2008, the Dallas plant moved its operations into a brand new facility that includes environmentally-friendly aspects like energy-efficient lighting and high-efficiency air compressors; and the Charlotte plant’s achievements include being selected for OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) by the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Division and receiving the 2003 Tony Saliture Award for Operational Excellence, Simmons’ highest honor.

The closure of the Atlanta facility will result in the layoffs of 91 associates and 12 administrative and management team members, whom Simmons is helping to transition through this difficult time. Nonunion employees will receive severance packages scaled according to tenure, subsidized health insurance for the length of the severance period, outplacement assistance and access to Simmons’ Employee Assistance Program, which includes job, financial and personal counseling. Union employees will receive a severance package that is subject to bargaining with their union.

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Simmons Closes Ontario Manufacturing Facility Due to CAW Work Stoppage

BUSINESS WIRE --Simmons Canada announced today that it is closing its Ontario, Canada manufacturing plant effective immediately due to an unacceptable loss in revenue and customer business caused by the recent Canadian Auto Workers Local 513 work stoppage at the facility.

Simmons Canada President Paul Bognar says that the effects of the strike have compromised the plant’s economic viability. “The decision to close our Ontario plant was not an easy one, but we feel it is necessary in order for Simmons Canada to maintain its market share and preserve our customer base,” said Bognar. “Our number one priority is providing consistent customer service to our dealer network, and we are working to make this transition as smooth as possible for Simmons Canada retailers.”

A significant portion of the plant’s production volume will continue to be manufactured in Canada; approximately 25 percent will be handled by Simmons Canada facilities in Kirkland, Quebec and Calgary, Alberta with the remainder carried out by Simmons U.S.A. plants in Janesville, Wis. and Hazelton, Pa. The same four facilities have handled the Ontario plant’s product orders since employees initiated a work stoppage on August 15.

With the closure of the facility come the layoffs of 145 associates and eight administrative personnel, who are represented by the union. For more information, visit www.simmonscanada.com.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events and financial performance. Words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “forecasts” and variations of such words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events, results or trends, or that do not relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that the events, results or trends identified in these forward-looking statements will occur or be achieved. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) general economic and industry conditions; (ii) competitive pricing pressures in the bedding industry; (iii) legal and regulatory requirements; (iv) the success of our new products and the future costs to roll out such products; (v) our relationships with and viability of our major suppliers; (vi) fluctuations in our costs of raw materials and energy prices; (vii) our relationship with and viability of significant customers and licensees; (viii) our ability to increase prices on our products and the effect of these price increases on our unit sales; (ix) an increase in our return rates and warranty claims; (x) our labor relations; (xi) departure of our key personnel; (xii) encroachments on our intellectual property; (xiii) our product liability claims; (xiv) our level of indebtedness; (xv) interest rate risks; (xvi) foreign currency exchange rate risks; (xvii) compliance with covenants in our debt agreements; (xviii) our future acquisitions; (xix) our ability to achieve the expected benefits from any personnel realignments; and (xx) other risks and factors identified from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, either to reflect new developments or for any other reason.

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