SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - Confined primarily to office space in Knauf’s Plant I, Knauf Insulation, which produces commercial and industrial products, as well as some light-density insulation, was struck by fire. The blaze, first sighted early on the morning of Feb. 16, started in an office area of Knauf’s Plant I complex and was contained before spreading into the manufacturing facility. 

According to the company, the effect of the blaze on production facilities was minimal, with most manufacturing lines basically undamaged. With power restored, three of the plant’s four production lines are now operational, with testing and repair efforts ongoing on the fourth. Customer orders continue to be fulfilled from existing inventories.

“The fire has been fully extinguished, and no Knauf employees were injured,” said Robert Claxton, Knauf president. “Our goal is to limit the impact of this unfortunate incident on our customers. Our warehouse wasn’t damaged, and we have ample inventories on hand to meet customer needs.”

Claxton also commented on the cleanup, “Our employees are also doing a remarkable job of restoring our production capabilities, clean up, and repair work.”

Knauf is in the midst of a $220 million modernization and expansion of its Plant I facility to increase capacity and improve product quality and consistency. The new construction was also unaffected by the fire. 

Knauf employees affected by the fire were called back to work as manufacturing resumed. “We’re investing heavily to grow our production capacity here in Shelbyville,” he said. “Fortunately, the new construction was unaffected by the fire and we’re moving forward according to schedule.”

For more information, visit www.knaufusa.com.

Publication date: 03/19/2007