Zeus Industrial Products, Inc., a leading polymer extrusion manufacturer and material science innovator, has purchased the former Burner Systems facility located at 3600 Cummings Road in Lookout Valley.
The sale was from Industrial LeaseIPropco Llc for $4.8 million.
Approximately one year ago, Zeus acquired Chattanooga’s MWC Technologies, LLC (MWC).
Since the acquisition, Zeus has operated in MWC’s existing facility located at 5901 Shallowford Road. However, with an expanding product portfolio and increasing customer demand, Zeus has outgrown this facility, officials said.
The Cummings Road property offers 143,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Zeus will renovate the entire facility in two phases. The first phase involves renovating a portion of the facility for immediate use. This portion will house operations from the existing Shallowford Road facility. Zeus plans to leave the leased Shallowford Road facility later this year and begin operations at the Cummings Road facility.
The purchase of the Cummings Road property is the latest project in Zeus’ ongoing expansion program. Last month, Zeus entered into a contract to purchase a building located at 3777 Industrial Boulevard in Orangeburg, S.C., near the company headquarters. Also, Zeus recently purchased a facility in St. Matthews, S.C., and is constructing a new plant near Columbia, S.C.
Steve Peterson, Zeus president, said, “With the purchase of MWC Technologies, Zeus gained important capabilities that fit nicely with our product strategy. The unique advantages we created helped grow demand for our existing products and expand our portfolio with new solutions. However, for production to keep pace with this growth, we needed a larger facility. By purchasing the Cummings Road property, Zeus can scale its production as needed to meet the requirements of a growing product portfolio and customer base. We are excited for this latest investment in our Tennessee operation and look forward to expanding our business even more in the years ahead.”
Wayne Conley, local plant manager, said, “The new Cummings Road facility will create much-needed space for current and future production. The capabilities of the new facility will allow us to expand existing Zeus product lines as well as introduce new product offerings more quickly and easily. In addition to manufacturing operations, we will also conduct development activities at this facility. Our ongoing focus on innovation will continue to create new value streams for our customers.”
Burner Systems long manufactured parts for gas ovens and grills in Chattanooga. It announced last year that it was closing down here and moving the operation to Texas and Mexico. It had 134 employees at the time.