Johns Manville (JM), a market-leading manufacturer of glass fiber products, announced the expansion of its glass fiber operations plant in Etowah, TN, to service the increasing needs of the engineered thermoplastics industry is underway and will be finished this year.

The North American composite market needs a strong and reliable supply of glass fibers to translate innovations into steady market growth. JM’s operations in North America are ideally located to reliably serve customers across the growing compounding base in the Midwest and Southeast.

“Current and future trends in the composites industry will continue to drive increasing demand for glass fiber products in transportation, electrical and consumers segments,” says Brian Sapp, global fibers business director for JM Engineered Products. “We are making this investment to support our customers’ plans for growth, and we are continuing to pursue innovations in technology and product development in fibers to support existing and future customers.”

The expansion in Etowah includes a new furnace to support the launch of the next generation of global products for reinforced thermoplastic composites and further support the drive to lightweight materials use. The new furnace, due to start up in August 2016, will allow for production growth and flexibility within JM’s product families for polyamides, polyesters and polypropylenes.

“This investment shows JM’s commitment to this industry and to our customers,” Sapp says.