Bouckaert Industrial Textiles (BIT), a maker of nonwovens for the thermal and acoustical insulation, equestrian, automotive, specialty filtration, vibration dampening, green-roof and industrial markets, is adding aa new, 3.4 meter wide, air-lay line from Laroche S.A. and TechnoPlants srl. The line is  scheduled to  be delivered this month and will be online in the beginning of the second quarter of 2017. The new line will primarily make material  for the thermal and acoustical insulation markets with additional capacity being geared towards specialty filtration and conveyor belting.

Representing an investment of more than $3 million, the new line is projected to manufacture 8 to 10 million pounds of material per year, adding 15 new specialized manufacturing jobs. It is the largest purchase in Bouckaert’s 28-year history.

“We originally looked into bringing on this capacity due to our current client’s growing business and requests for material we could not supply with our current lines,” says Max Brixle, company president. “It was this desire to support our client’s needs that really made the decision.”

Bouckaert has confirmed that the new line’s capacity has already drawn a lot of attention from various industries and companies. Many of these companies are looking to leverage Bouckaert’s extensive record on capability and quality control with its geographical position in the U.S. northeast, allowing them to reduce shipping costs while increasing the quality and consistency of their products, Brixle adds.