Article originally published in World Aerosol Magazine - View/Download the article in PDF form here - ValenSil 2023 Expansion
Jim O'Connor, director of business development and marketing at ValenSil, explains the young company's huge expansion project.
Contract aerosol services firm ValenSil, based in Ohio, US, is now in its seventh year, and is what O'Connor described as "a newer company". Despite that, it is making major headway in the industry.
ValenSil began with a now-patented product, a silicone coating, that had not been aerosolized before. O'Connor said that the product's success led to further referrals, and the company started to grow.
"Suppliers started recommending ValenSil, as we're known for being able to aerosolize products that proved more challenging," he said. "Most of our clients are industrial and we do offer shorter runs than most fillers. We fill that niche very well.
"During Covid ValenSil "toughed it out", by making hand sanitizer to keep employees busy, and to supply its community with a product that was needed. Aerosol production decreased, O'Connor said, and getting raw materials was a challenge. As the pandemic eased off, production began to increase.
Shown below artist rendering of new plant (completed and now open as of September 2023). View rest of article below image...
The company's growth has been strong since, resulting in a major expansion. As owner Dick West said: "We saw the need to expand and meet the needs of our clients."
Situated on 4.5 acres on Pin Oak Parkway in Avon Lake, Ohio, The development was completed in June and production has begun as of September of this year (2023). Located just five minutes from its current plant, it marks a major investment in ValenSil's production capacity - it has brought an additional 10 million can production facility.
"We will nearly triple our capabilities with this new 20,000 square foot plant." said O'Connor. "The new facility includes an expansive tank farm that will expand the types of propellants we offer and the ability to customize client orders that need specialty gasses. We will also be adding a new 14-ton CO2 tank to service those with CO2 needs. The Avon plant will remain in production as well."
The new, full-service, 20,000 square foot facility will feature multiple production lines, and a 20,000-gallon tank farm. Designed with expansion in mind, the facility can be doubled in size.
The new plant has two semi-automatic complete fill lines capable of filling five-to-10 million cans annually. the current location offers one line and we have a lab capable of custom formulating, heat ageing, and physical properties testing," added O'Connor.
The facility and new lines therefore bring new opportunities for ValenSil to attract new clients with its increased production. "This will open up partnering opportunities with our clients to get them on the ground floor to have secure production time, and meet deadlines," O'Connor said. "We look forward to filling the production schedule while filling the needs of our clients."
With business clearly thriving in the US, World Aerosols was interested to know whether ValenSil only works within the US, or if it has clients from other regions.
"Yes the bulk of our clients are within the US - but we do have one client in Australia,"O'Connor said. "That client came to us as a "last resort", one of our vendors recommended them to us after they had failed to find a firm that could aerosolize their coating. We took on that challenge and four months later, and over 9,500 miles from home - they had what they were seeking, an aerosolized product that complemented their brush-on coating perfectly."
With its new expansion in place, ValenSil can surely expect more of the same.
34910 Commerce Way • Avon, Ohio 44011 • Phone: 440.937.8181 • Toll Free: 844.453.3545 • Fax: 440.695.0913
