Global rubber manufacturer KRAIBURG TPE Corporation opened its new 65,000-square-foot, $15 million Americas headquarters and manufacturing plant this week in Buford, Georgia. The facility will service the Western Hemisphere, making it KRAIBURG’s largest investment outside of Europe. The company also renewed its commitment to stay in Gwinnett County where it currently has a sales office in Duluth. Overall, the new facility will create more than 20 new jobs over the next five years.

Grand opening festivities included remarks from prominent guests from Germany and the United States. Dignitaries also buried a time capsule with samples of KRAIBURG’s products, its strategic plan and a financial statement about how much the building costs so future generations could keep in touch with the company’s past.

“When we decided to build our Americas headquarters instead of leasing another building, it was only natural for us to continue our operations in Gwinnett County,” said Jeff Frankish, managing director of KRAIBURG TPE Americas. “Buford provides us the room to grow and keeps our talent close by, which was our number one reason for staying in Gwinnett.”

Even though the new KRAIBURG facility is now open, it will begin operations in 2016 after moving from its previous facility in Duluth. KRAIBURG plans to continue expanding the facility over the next few years, including adding an additional 9,000 square feet by 2018, resulting in a 74,000-square-foot facility. The facility was designed initially for three production lines and 75 personnel. Future expansion will include enough space for up to five more production lines.

“The KRAIBURG facility is significant to Buford, Gwinnett, Georgia and to Kajima Builidng & Design Group. This build marks more than 6.5 million square feet in projects completed by KBD Group nationwide in 2015,” said Jeff Stiner, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Atlanta-based KBD Group, who built the KRAIBURG Americas facility. “When we broke ground last year, we knew this was going to be an impressive facility, but what’s even more impressive is KRAIBURG’s commitment and confidence in the investment into its extended American family."