Roxell USA in Anderson is part of a worldwide team but comes from humble beginnings, according to plant manager Jeff Forbes.
The plant has 50 to 55 employees year-round and 75 to 80 for seasonal work, he said. A lot of employees who worked for Sibley are still with the company . They have 30-plus years' experience, Forbes said.
Roxell USA just completed phase one of an expansion project, adding a 32,500-square-foot building that increased space for manufacturing and warehousing. The project brings the facility to a total of 119,025 square feet under roof, Forbes said. In the past year, the company has purchased more than $1 million worth of new equipment. These investments have allowed Roxell USA to double its sales over the last five years. Forbes said phase two of the expansion project will increase manufacturing space again.
The business was originally Sibley Industries, which was started in the 1930s and had plants in Noel and Sulphur Springs, Ark. A major snow storm caved in the Noel plant in 1989, and the business was moved to Anderson. In 1998, CTB, a Berkshire Hathaway company, acquired Sibley Industries, Forbes said.
In 2001, CTB combined Roxell USA with Sibley and renamed the company Agile Manufacturing. Roxell USA was in Springdale at the time. In 2013, CTB reorganized and changed the name from Agile to Roxell USA. The Anderson location reports to Roxell in Maldegem, Belgium. Roxell also has locations in Russia and Malaysia.
"We came from small, humble beginnings, and now we're part of the Roxell team that's worldwide," Forbes said.
Roxell USA manufactures and designs heaters and nesting supplies for the poultry industry. The company also manufactures watering and feeding supplies, Forbes said.
"The plant infrastructure supports global demand stretching from Asia to Peru and Europe to southwest Missouri," Forbes said.
"We have three local injection molding shops. Not in McDonald County, but pretty local. We ship worldwide out of here. We sell through distributors," Forbes said.
Roxell is celebrating its 50th anniversary worldwide this year.
General News on 06/22/2017