Expansion slated to create 200 new jobs
By Leah S. Bethea, Courier Herald

Local and state officials and community leaders gathered with YKK AP officials and employees at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to celebrate the $80 million expansion the corporation will invest in the community. It was announced recently that the leading manufacturer of architectural building products will expand its facility in Dublin, investing $80 million and creating approximately 200 jobs to double the operation’s capacity by 2010.

Officials gathered Friday on a 41-acre construction site where the expansion will occur. Yoshi Yamamoto, vice president of the International Business Headquarters, said he was pleased to celebrate another great day in Dublin. “I am always happy to have an opportunity to visit and see some of my closest friends in Dublin and Laurens County,” he said. “Today marks another wonderful day in the growth of YKK AP America. This expansion ... is a tribute to the employees of this company and this community.”

Greg Hultquist, vice president of manufacturing in Dublin, revealed plans of how the expansion will evolve over the next few years. Construction of a new cast house will start in March and should be fully operational by the first quarter of 2007. Hultquist said the cast house will be a 45,000 square foot facility which will include a state-of the-art melt furnace with the capacity for 11 tons of smelted aluminum. That addition will allow the company the capability to produce 16 20-foot logs in eight and nine inch diameters with an annual capacity of producing 18,000 tons of aluminum logs. Hultquist said the equipment will also be state of the art in energy efficiency so that they can lower the amount of natural resources that must be used while still producing a quality product.

There are also projections for three more additions by the year 2010. Hultquist said those projections are based on the economy continuing to be strong in the architectural market, the company’s ability to be productive and cost effective in manufacturing, as well as continued strong support from senior Japanese management in Japan and Laurens County. Hultquist said the three projections are the addition of a third aluminum extrusion line and a new paint system in 2008 with additional shipping, receiving and fabrication space; a brick medal forming operation in 2009; and the addition of an anodizing finishing system in 2010. If all projections are met, Hultquist said that will be an added 330,000 square feet for the plant, totaling 1 million square feet of world class manufactured architectural product.

Alex Gregory, president and CEO of YKK Corporation of America, headquartered in Marietta, said the continued growth of the plant is due in large part to the the local community. “Your hospitality is truly unprecedented,” he said. “We truly could not do what we’ve done without each one of you.” Gregory shared something that he recently heard from Max Mizota, president of YKK AP America Inc. — that YKK AP's mission is not about sales dollars and profits, but rather about each one of the employees achieving success. Gregory said he hoped that the new expansion would help YKK’s local employees to achieve their dreams right here in Dublin. Mizoda was also on hand at the groundbreaking.

He said along with the expansion, YKK AP will continue to work to maintain a quality product, quality service, quality equipment and quality of life for their employees. “It is obvious that each of you share with me the idea that in order for an organization to survive, the organization must provide the people it serves with a high level of services,” he said. Mizoda said he has found that the only time there is truly a success is when it benefits the citizens.

State Rep. DuBose Porter said YKK AP has become such a part of the community that when people walk through landmarks like Theatre Dublin, Dublin City Hall, the Laurens County Library, Middle Georgia College - Dublin Center and Heart of Georgia Technical College, they are walking through YKK doors. He said he recently shared with an architect for the Allied Health Building at HGTC the need to carry on that tradition. “The one thing I told the architect when he started designing it was ‘Make sure we’ll walk through YKK AP doors when it’s done,’” he said. Porter said YKK AP's investment in the community is proof that Dublin and Laurens County can compete on a global level and grow with it. “We thank you for the confidence you’ve shown in our county and our state,” he said.

State Sen. Ross Tolleson also lauded the community for their support. “This is what happens when you have a good business environment,” he said. “It’s the heartbeat of a community that makes it all happen.”

Dublin Mayor Phil Best thanked YKK AP officials for choosing to come to Dublin. “We know you had a choice and you chose Dublin and we appreciate that,” he said. Commission Chair Clinton Lord said it’s great to see an international business invest in Dublin when so many other businesses are going overseas. “To me, that’s the ultimate in recognizing that we do live in the greatest county in Georgia,” he said.

Roger Folsom, vice chair of the Development Authority, called the expansion a tribute to the community and to YKK AP's employees. “It’s a grand day for the Development Authority when a company of our own expands to this degree,” he said.

Wendy Bibb, regional project manage for the Department of Economic Development, reiterated that the State of Georgia’s first priority is job creation. “This ... is a tribute to what happens when community and government and individuals work together,” she said.

Headquartered in Austell, YKK AP America Inc. is a subsidiary of YKK Corporation of America. YKK AP’s highly-automated, state-of-the-art Dublin plant, located in Laurens County, manufactures doors, windows and curtain wall systems under the YKK AP brand. YKK’s North America and Central America Group encompasses companies in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Some 3,000 employees support the company’s two major operational pillars, architectural products and fastening products.