Web-Slinging in Mississippi (November 5, 2009)
This Spring I had the privilege of meeting folks from one of the fastest growing areas of our industry - the professionals in TAPPI's Non-Woven's Division. I know we have more than a barge full of acronyms in our association, but I am about to teach you another one. The group has come up with its own new logo to help you remember.
This division covers a broad area, from diapers and wipes to building and industrial mats. My attendance at this particular meeting led to an invitation to meet with their BIM (Building & Industrial Mats) committee in April. Through that meeting, I was introduced to a very unique and ambitious building products company located in central Mississippi: Atlas Web Technologies.
ATLAS Web Technologies is a division of Atlas Roofing Corporation, which is located in Meridian, Mississippi. These folks really know the meaning of Southern hospitality. They were extremely gracious with their time, and showed me around their diverse manufacturing facility. Matthew Bennett, Director of Sales and Marketing, made the introductions as I met many of the employees (with years of service ranging from 7 to 42 years!) who have helped make Atlas successful. They all had smiles on their faces, which to me says a great deal about the way a company is run.
Hood Companies, the holding company for Atlas, is comprised of the following companies:
- Hood Industries-Lumber & Plywood.
- Hood Packaging- Multiwall bags and plastic bags.
- Atlas Roofing Corporation - Includes the following four divisions:
- Web Technologies Division: This division includes five plants that manufacture a variety of paper products and coated substrates such as facers, coated woven and non-woven mats, roofing and flooring underlayments, glass reinforced paper, and 100% recycled specialty paper products, just to name a few. This division services many industries, including gypsum, roofing, concrete, automotive, insulation, furniture, filtration, and laminations.
- Residential Roofing Division: Includes five Residential Roofing plants that make residential shingles, roll roofing, and specialty underlayments.
- Expanded Polystyrene Foam Division (Falcon Foam): Includes three plants that manufacture a wide range of EPS products including roll cradles, core plugs, insulation, specialty packaging, garage and RV doors, road stabilization blocks, and more.
- Polyiso Foam Division: Includes seven plants that manufacture polyiso insulation and sheathing products for the commercial and residential building industry.
At the Atlas plant, they put recycling on steroids. There you will find a counter-flow vat paper mill with 148" trim that produces glass reinforced felt (GRF, or what they call "Great Roofing Facer"), which is constructed of 100% recycled post consumer and post industrial fiber. They also produce dry felt and other specialty paper products. You will also find a fully encapsulated coating line capable of coating many different substrates, plus a residential roofing shingle line.
To learn more, check out the new Atlas Web Technologies website:
www.AtlasWebTech.com. Or, for more information about Atlas Roofing Corporation, visit
www.atlasroofing.com. And of course, for more information on TAPPI go to
www.tappi.org.
Until next time!
Larry Montague
TAPPI President