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MARIETTA, OH (Dec. 7, 2007) Fibrox™ Technology, LP Announces Intent to Open Environmentally-Friendly Manufacturing Facility in Marietta, Ohio. Fibrox Technology, LP, an advanced materials manufacturer specializing in synthetic fibers used for applications in the industrial and commercial markets, is in the final planning stages to build a 50,000 square foot facility on Ohio State Route 7, announced company President and CEO Russell D. Craig.

The proposed facility, which could initially bring up to 40 new production and maintenance jobs to the Mid-Ohio Valley, is slated to be built on seven acres of land located on the western end of the Eramet Marietta property along Ohio Route 7 and Blue Knob Road.

This location is a natural fit for the operations, which intends to use the “energy in” raw material called “slag,” a by-product of Eramet’s production processes, as a principle ingredient in the manufacture of its product, Fibrox Mineral Fiber. It is produced through a completely “closed loop” process. This environmentally-friendly process technology works to reuse waste materials created in an upstream manufacturing process to reduce overall waste and produce viable goods. Once created, the fiber, which is an inorganic, vitreous material made from molten minerals spun at high temperatures, is used in a variety of commercial and industrial applications, including building products, fire protection barriers and brake linings.

“Fibrox has been a leader in mineral fiber technology and production since 1995 and in 2006 began sourcing slag from the Eramet Marietta plant as a feedstock for its mineral fiber production facility in Quebec, Canada,” Craig says. “Since that time, Fibrox has been shipping the slag by rail from Marietta several hundred miles north to our Thetford Mines plant in Quebec where it undergoes a melting and fiberization process. We intend to replicate that process at the proposed Marietta facility using the already molten slag as our feed material. The decision to locate a plant adjacent to our primary supplier just makes good economic business sense, as it enables us to significantly reduce processing and distribution costs. More importantly, it is environmentally sound as it allows us to utilize high temperature, molten slag which reduces the electrical energy normally required to transform the slag from a solid to liquid state.”

The addition of the Marietta facility is part of the company’s overall growth strategy, says Fibrox Chairman Geoffrey Hampson. “Having a new facility in Ohio will better allow Fibrox to compete in the US and the rest of the world while our current Thetford Mines operation will maintain a strong presence in Quebec to meet our growing Canadian market,” he adds.

Estimated to cost $30 million to construct, the Marietta Fibrox facility will include a maintenance shop, control rooms, loading docks, administrative offices and state-of-the art induction or arc furnaces and equipment capable of converting by-product slag into 120,000 net tons of mineral fiber annually.

While the project is still contingent upon funding, regulatory approvals and various state and county incentives, officials are planning an aggressive building timetable with local engineering firms with the goal of having the plant operational by the first quarter 2009. “We have an opportunity to bring new jobs and new industry to Marietta in a time when good-paying industrial jobs are getting harder and harder to find,” says Craig. “We are eager to break ground and start calling the Mid-Ohio Valley our home.”

Fibrox Technologies, LP is a manufacturer of high purity fiber products. Founded in the early 1990’s by the Hampson family in Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada, Fibrox produces a range of granulated and specialty mineral fibers used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications including heat shielding, high temperature gaskets and seals, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, fire protection barriers, chimney insulation, composite reinforcement applications, refractory products (high temperature paper), mat and vacuum formed shapes, horticultural products, asphalt reinforcement (SMA) and fire logs for gas fireplaces. The white color, high-fiber content (low shot) and temperature operation range of Fibrox mineral fiber make it an excellent alternative to ceramic refractory, asbestos, glass, aramid and other synthetic fibers. Fibrox products are sold throughout the world by a dedicated group of distributors and agents covering Canada, the US, Europe, Mexico, South America, China, Taiwan and India. Fibrox currently operates a manufacturing facility in Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada.

Fibrox is taking part in the 26th Annual SAE Brake Colloquium and Exhibition, to be held on October 12-15, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. The Colloquium and Exhibition is the largest meeting in the world devoted to brake systems.

We invite you to this important event and to stop by our booth (#413).

We look forward to seeing you at the show and to discussing your mineral fiber needs.

Over the years, the Brake Colloquium & Exhibition has gained recognition as THE event where engineering professionals in the global brake community gather to gain the highly-specialized technical knowledge and the very latest developments in technology solutions to design the innovations of tomorrow.

The Georgia and Alabama Department of Transportation have evaluated and approved Fibrox 300 mineral fiber for use as an additive in asphaltic concrete mixes. With its ideal fiber length and its industry leading purity, Fibrox 300 is the mineral fiber of choice for use as a stabilizing additive in Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) and Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) road surface applications.

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A scientific working group of 19 experts from 11 countries convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has favorably re-classified man made mineral fibers.

For additional information, read the entire report in the Articles Section.

We've introduced our latest development, Fi-Grow. Fi-Grow is the ideal medium for plant propagation, compost extending and soil conditioning. The rock wool fibres are designed for ideal fiber size, texture, capillarity and structure to enhance plant growth. Fi-Grow is available in its natural state as a water absorbent granulated. Fi-Grow also comes in three gradings, Coarse Medium and Fine. Visit the Products page to find out more about Fibrox's latest development.

Health related issues regarding the length of time particles from mineral fibers may stay in the lung have been examined by a number of organizations. Fibrox fibers have always enjoyed a reputation as healthy alternative to other choices, and that has just been supported by independent scientific analysis.

The key factor is the "biopersistence" of particles, or in other words, how long they are likely to remain in the lung. The chemical makeup of mineral fibers accounts closely for their relative biopersistence in acidic milieu of the lung, where "alkaline rich" particles are less likely to be biopersistent. It appears that those fibers which display a low percentage (18% or lower) of alkaline oxides may remain for rather long periods in the lung (they are biopersistent), whereas those having a higher perentage (above 18%) of alkaline oxides, such as NaO2, K2O, CaO, MgO and BaO would be less biopersistent, that is, cleared more rapidly from the lung.

Recently a representative sample of Fibrox 300 fibers was submitted for elemental analysis by an independent labratory. The results show that the sum of alkaline oxides comes to 28.85% - significantly higher than the 18% cutoff indicated by the European fiber directive. The test results show that Fibrox mineral fiber is very unlikely to be biopersistent.

As always, Fibrox recommends the use of a NIOSH approved dust mask or equivalent when handling Fibrox fibers or any similar products.

For additional information, read the entire report in the Articles Section.

Fibrox mineral products have never looked better. A new full colour brochure is hot off the presses and on its way to Fibrox distributors and agents. The brochure is designed as a full size folder and includes a colour specification sheet for each of the four main Fibrox products: Fiber, Milled Fiber, Paper and TAPI Needled Blanket.

"Our customers often ask us for spec sheets and supporting information, and this brochure gives them everything they need in a very attractive package," said Louis Denis, Manager, Sales and Marketing. "The brochure will be available from all our Distributors as well as at trade shows or by direct request to Fibrox."

You can ask for your free copy of the brochure by using the Contact Us form on this website.