Posted October 11, 2017

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

PERRY, Ga. – Germans joined Georgians and others here last week to celebrate Sandler Nonwoven Corporation’s first year of production in the U.S.

 

Sandler Nonwoven Corp. is the first overseas subsidiary of Germany-based nonwovens manufacturer Sandler AG. The plant produces lightweight, breathable, absorbent nonwovens and variants for baby care, feminine hygiene and adult care. Sandler AG employs 770 people, including about 50 in Georgia, and serves the construction, engineering, filtration, home textiles, hygiene, transportation and wipes markets.

 

Company representatives, state and local officials, suppliers and friends marked the anniversary in grand style with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the plant location and a Bavarian-style Oktoberfest at Southern Bridle Farms in nearby Fort Valley, Ga.

 

Among those on hand for the ribbon cutting and plant tour was Ga. Gov. Nathan Deal and Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, president & CEO of Sandler AG. About two years ago, Gov. Deal announced during an economic development mission to Germany that Sandler AG had picked Houston County, Ga., for its first plant outside of its home country. The $30 million investment would create more than 140 jobs within five years, he reported at the time.

 

“Thank you is all we can say,” Gov. Deal said during last week’s ceremony. “This is another great German company. Germany is one of the three leading investors in the state of Georgia … and you are an important part of continuing that tradition. All of you are an important part of what allowed this to come to its fruition.”

 

Dr. Sandler thanked the Sandler teams in Perry and Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, as well as regional partners in Georgia who actively supported the establishment of the new facility.

 

“When the decision to build a plant here in the U.S. was finalized, I told my management team, ‘we are facing a marathon,’ ” he recalled. “At that point we did not know where in the U.S. our finishing line would be. In Perry, we found people eager to welcome us as part of their community and new team members eager to take part in building up Sandler Nonwoven Corporation. And yet, the plant here in Perry is but one stage of our marathon.”

 

A few hours later, dirndl, lederhosen, Oktoberfest games and German cuisine were all the order of the night at the Bavarian Oktoberfest, attended by about 300 guests. A reception in a beer garden preceded the activities inside the rustic barn.

 

Tobias Baumgaertel, president of Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, thanked his team, Sandler AG and local partners for their dedication and support, without which setting up the new manufacturing plant would not have been possible. He also expressed his gratitude to his family, who took this major step into a new life in the U.S. together with him.

 

Dr. Sandler reflected on his beginnings with the company, which was founded by his great-grandfather in 1879, and milestones on the road that led the company to Perry. He expressed his thanks to Baumgaertel and his team, the staff of Sandler AG and his own family, who hold various positions within the company and continue to shape the family-owned business. He also thanked the customers, whose continued trust in Sandler made this step possible, he said.

 

Ensuing speakers spoke to the significance of Sandler’s investment in the region. They included Houston County Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker; Angie Gheesling, executive director of the Houston County Development Authority; and Jimmy Faircloth, mayor of Perry. Faircloth also presented the German guests with special gifts: Matching the evening’s motto, they received personalized beer mugs and the symbolic key to the city.

 

Subsequently, Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & CCO of Sandler AG, led attendees in a blessing.