AESSEAL relocating to Blount County
From Staff ReportsOriginally published: August 14. 2008 3:01AM
Last modified: August 13. 2008 10:30PM
AESSEAL Inc. is moving to Rockford from West Knoxville.
The office relocated Monday and the assembly operations will move next week, Molly Robinson, contracts coordinator, said Wednesday.
The cost of renovation at the new location and purchasing the property is $5 million.
The Rockford location in Stock Creek Industrial Park is the North American headquarters for AESSEAL, based in Northern England.
The company is one of the leading global specialists in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals, support systems and bearing seals.
It has operations on six continents and is the world's fourth largest supplier of mechanical seals used in pumps and rotating equipment to prevent liquids and gases from escaping into the environment.
In the U.S., AESSEAL has locations in Maine, Washington State and Iowa, along with its Rockford headquarters. All of the manufacturing is done in the U.K.; assembly, invoicing and billing for North American operations will be done in Rockford.
The company has averaged 15 percent business growth over the past five years, according to a spokesman for the firm. AESSEAL has 45 local employees and 75 nationwide.
More space needed
The company has been in Knoxville since 1992. In West Knoxville, the firm was located in two buildings separated by another business.
The move to the new 36,000-square-foot structure is being made to respond to increased space needs of the company.
Extensive renovations were needed to the structure in Stock Creek Industrial Park, including 10,000 square feet of additional office space and a state-of-the-art training facility.
The new facility doubles the size of the former buildings and allows for expansion.
AESSEAL partnered with Hodge Associates, a Knoxville-based design firm, and Richardson-Turner Construction on the project.