The Wilkinson County city of Gordon is about to get an economic boost from a family-owned German company that is investing $15 million there to expand its specialty chemicals manufacturing capability.
The announcement by Lahnstein-based Zschimmer & Schwarz coincides with the ongoing construction of the Fall Line Freeway, which is designed to assist freight trucks carrying goods between Columbus and Augusta to avoid Atlanta and is to cross U.S. 441 southeast of Milledgeville.
The new highway augments the six rail-served, pad-ready sites already in existence to serve what has traditionally been the city’s main economic activity, the mining of kaolin.
“We think it’s going to be a good fit for the community,” Jonathan Jackson, director of Wilkinson’s Development Authority, said of the investment and cited the demand for a skilled workforce that will be supplied from the surrounding area including the cities of Macon and Augusta.
As a center in Georgia’s kaolin mining industry, Gordon is no stranger to German investment. The white clay that is used in many manufacturing products including paper, paint, rubber, make-up and medicines, attracted to the county mining giants such as Freeport Kaolin Co., which was acquired in the mid-1980s by Engelhard Corp.
Engelhard in turn was acquired by the German company BASF in 2006 that continues to operate in Wilkinson. Zshimmer & Schwarz first came to Middle Georgia through its acquisition of the
chemical manufacturer Chemtex in Milledgeville.
Zschimer & Schwartz’s interest in Gordon stemmed from its recent acquisition of the Lexolube division of the Pennsylvania company Inolex Chemical Co. as a means of expanding its manufacturing capabilities of specialty lubricants and lubricant components.
The new facility in Gordon is to include 75,000 square feet of laboratory warehouse and office space and house on its 300-acre site in Ivey, a town adjacent to Gordon, four rail spurs, 40 storage tanks and reactors.
Joseph Boone, Gordon’s city attorney, told Global Atlanta that among Zschimer & Schwartz’s clients were automobile manufacturers and cosmetic companies. The Milledgeville plant now has about 75 workers and expects to add 60 in Gordon once that facility is operational in 2018 with hiring beginning in this coming summer.
The company produces in Milledgeville a wide range of products including printing mediums, binders and glaze additives. It provides support for the ceramic tile industry and has expanded its U.S. operations to be closer to customers and less vulnerable to currency fluctuations.
Meanwhile, Wilkinson County Development Authority Director Jackson said that he considers the area poised for more German investment.
