BY KATHY MELLOTT
ALTOONA — High demand for silicone gaskets – which are replacing those made of cork and paper – is fueling expansion at a Somerset County company that manufactures the material.
Guy Chemical Co. Inc. of 150 Dominion Drive, Somerset, is planning a $250,000 expansion that will allow the owners to expand a division that fills squeeze tubes and create 11 new jobs during the next three years.
Half the money for the expansion, $122,500, will come as a low-interest loan through the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission of Altoona. The remainder will come from the company.
“This is a very strong company and they are providing their own match through equity,” said Steve Metzger, director of business lending services for the regional economic development agency.
The company – which does contract packing and silicone and epoxy compounding – manufactures the silicone gasket makers that are packaged in aluminum squeeze tubes. The devices are used primarily by the auto industry.
Metzger said that, during the past two years, the company has seen considerable growth in silicone caulking for construction and home improvement.
The squeeze-tube filling machines at Guy Chemical are unable to keep up with demand, necessitating excess overtime for workers and longer delivery times for customers.
The money will be used for machinery and equipment acquisition. The company already has ordered a 100-horsepower air compressor used in the tube-filling process, Metzger said.
The company now employs 35 people.
