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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics Opens Expanded Manufacturing Center In Watertown, South Dakota

07/27/2016
Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics celebrated the opening of its expanded manufacturing plant in Watertown, South Dakota. The town is 105 miles north of Sioux Falls.

GLRP's new facility in Watertown adds 300% more square footage than their previous location and doubles the capacity for soling presses, company officials said. The company has also made a significant investment in new IT technology to support the company's continued growth and expansion in South Dakota and added a full state of the art materials laboratory with materials testing and measuring capabilities. Most importantly, GLRP has already added a dozen new employees to support their expanded manufacturing capabilities.

In 2014, GLRP partnered with Vibram USA, a firm that designs, develops and manufactures soling for high performance consumer and military-specific footwear and is the largest supplier of high-quality footwear soling to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics plant features multi-line capability with the ability to manufacture a broad spectrum of Vibram products, ranging from soling for high-performance athletic shoes to combat boots for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces. In addition, GLRP also produces products for the automotive, industrial, and agriculture markets with a variety of molding technologies.

Vibram USA CEO Mike Gionfriddo said, "Vibram USA is pleased to support the continued growth and expansion of Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics. The partnership between our two companies ensures that Vibram's military and commercial customers will have the capacity and quality needed to sustain the growing demand for high-performance Vibram rubber soles.”

“The South Dakota workforce has consistently demonstrated their commitment to the quality manufacturing necessary to meet the high standards set by the Vibram brand and we are looking forward to continuing to invest in our partnership with Glacial Lakes," he added.

Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics President/CEO Robb Peterson commented, “Glacial Lakes is pleased to continue our partnership with Vibram USA to manufacture the highest quality rubber soling for our armed service members. Our growth is a result of our strong business partnership and I look forward to maintaining our relationship."

Senator John Thune said, "The fact that GLRP and Vibram USA quickly outgrew their previous facility is a testament to just how successful their partnership has become. This expansion is good news for the two companies, all of the employees who've helped make this happen, and most importantly, the men and women in uniform who will benefit from all of this hard work. It's pretty special to know that the work these companies are doing here in Watertown can help our troops complete their mission around the world with quality, American-made products. I congratulate GLRP and Vibram USA on a job well done, and am excited to see what they do next."

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