Stockton welcomes new plant

 Retail, training facility will bring jobs, new revenue to S.J.

By Reed Fujii

Record Staff Writer

 April 01, 2012 12:00 AM

 STOCKTON - Ardex Americas, a Pennsylvania-based specialty building products company, will break ground Tuesday on a $9 million, 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant and training center in Stockton.

When completed in spring 2013, the highly automated facility is expected to employ a dozen people and offer training to 1,000 to 2,000 contractors and building designers a year on the use and application of Ardex products.

On a 7.5-acre site at 2612 Station Drive, not far from the Highway 99 Mariposa Road interchange in south Stockton, the plant is part of Ardex's $25 million, five-year investment to expand its tile and stone installation products business.

"Ardex is the global leader in tile and stone installation products and, because of the Stockton facility, will now be a significant player in the U.S. premium market," said Stephan M. Liozu, the company's president and chief executive officer.

Ardex Americas, a business unit of privately held Ardex Group, which is based in Witten, Germany, also plans facility upgrades at plants in Dallas, Ga., and at its corporate headquarters in Aliquippa, Pa.

While initial employment at the plant will be a dozen, Ardex is certainly a positive development for the area's economy, said Shelley Burcham, vice president of the San Joaquin Partnership.

She said construction work is expected to generate 100 to 120 jobs over the next eight months. Building professionals visiting the training center will patronize area hotels and restaurants, she pointed out.

"The exciting thing is, it is a new development in San Joaquin County," Burcham said.

"We haven't seen new development in the last few years," she said, adding that Ardex's project is a sign "things are starting to move in the economy."

Company spokeswoman Jaime Dray said the Stockton plant will focus primarily on tile-setting products.

"Tile and stone installation products primarily consist of thin-set mortars, grouts and waterproofing products," she said.

Mortars are spread onto the floor or wall and then tiles (or stones) are set into the mortar and held in place. Grouts are then spread over the tiles to fill in the gaps.

"Waterproofing products are used in wet areas such as showers, pool decks, etc., (to) protect the substrate below the tile installation from water exposure," Dray said.

Ardex's existing training programs are used by about 5,000 people a year. They teach the proper application of Ardex products and stress quality installation techniques, Dray said.

The aim is to prevent floor and wall tile failures, minimizing the need for costly repairs or replacement.

The Stockton facility will not sell products to the general public, Ardex said.

More information about Ardex can be found at the company's website, ardexamericas.com.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.

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