Life Stone Materials will invest $5.5 million and create 45
high-tech textile jobs in Anderson
By Anna Smith
ANDERSON -- Life Stone Materials LLC will locate a $5.5 million manufacturing facility in Anderson County and create 45 new high-tech textile jobs in a county where many traditional textile manufactures have closed.
Life Stone Materials will weave fabrics used in high-performance, protective technologies, including state-of-the-art ballistic solutions for the U.S. military, federal agencies, state, and local law enforcement, company and county officials said.
Located in an 80,000-square-foot building formerly occupied by Straits Steel & Wiring off Standridge Road in Anderson, the facility is expected to be fully operational sometime in the second quarter of 2008, officials said.
The long-vacant building is back in productive use, as are some initial employees.
Being back at work as a warper operator “made me feel so good,” said Iris Wales, 50, of Starr, a displaced textile worker whose Santens of America job in Anderson moved overseas last year.
Wales, who found the job through the state Employment Security Commission, was equally pleased at the unexpected opportunity to work for her old Santens boss, Drew Visioli, who has found a second textile career as Life Stone’s warping and finishing manager.
For Visioli, Life Stone is an opportunity “to be able to start new and to build a team of people that are willing and able and want to continue in textiles.”
Life Stone Materials LLC is a joint venture by Point Blank Solutions Inc., a leader in the design and production of technologically advanced body armor systems, and FMS Enterprises Migun Ltd., a leading manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced lightweight ballistic armor materials.
The availability of skilled textile workers was a key in selecting the Anderson site, said Craig Trask, Production Manager of Life Stone Materials.
“They know how to warp and finish and weave. Those are basically our main processes,” Trask said.
“We are optimistic that the knowledge brought to this venture will enable Life Stone Materials to become a global player in protective materials,” Trask said. “South Carolina provides our company with the skilled workforce and capabilities necessary to meet our manufacturing goals and provide our customers with the quality products they demand.”
Workforce training through ReadySC at Tri-County Technical College and the overall quality of life gave Anderson County additional advantages in recruiting the new company, said Michael Thompson, who is Anderson County Council chairman and represents the area where the facility is located.
The availability of an existing building also played into the decision, said Joey Preston, Anderson County Administrator.
Life Stone is the second business to announce the selection of a vacant, exiting building in Anderson is less than a week. Cross Country Home Services recently announced it will create 350 jobs in a new customer care center in a former Winn Dixie supermarket.
