30 jobs being created as Dalton vinyl plant gets orders

Dalton flooring manufacturer IVC US is expanding production, adding 30 jobs.

The expansion pushes the Belgium-owned vinyl floor company's staff to nearly 200. Andrew Kearton, vice president of manufacturing, said in coming years the company plans to expand even more.

"We're going to keep growing as the market demands, of course," he said. "But we have a large shared plan development."

The plant now occupies 520,000 square feet, and the company has the capability to double that footprint.

Most flooring manufacturers have struggled since the recession hit, slowing new construction to a crawl. But Kearton said IVC has been able thrive by capturing a large amount of residential remodelings and expansions. IVC hopes to expand its commercial flooring.

"The big, key thing is growth," Kearton said. "It's just expanding markets."

IVC opened a Dalton distribution center in 2004. The company opened its manufacturing facility last February and now boasts a quarter-mile long vinyl sheet production line, which it said is the world's largest.

The factory operates two shifts three days a week, but with the expansion IVC will ramp up to a round-the-clock, five-day-a-week business.

Dalton has struggled since the recession hit. The carpet manufacturing capital of the world's unemployment rate sits above 12 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So IVC's expansion is a good sign for the area.

"It's been a wonderful project for our community and we could not be more pleased about the progress they've made," said Elyse Cochran, executive director of the Dalton/Whitfield Joint Development Authority. "By all of our indications, our dealings with them, they're definitely on the growth trend. This would probably be the beginning of expansions to come."