NEW BERLIN, Wis. — ITU AbsorbTech, based here, has broken ground on a 50,000-square-foot processing facility in McCalla, Alabama, expanding its environmentally friendly solutions to manufacturers and printing operations across the Southeast.

“Today marks an important step forward for ITU AbsorbTech,” says President and CEO Craig Bald. “We’re excited to break ground on this new facility to expand our operational capabilities, support our team and customers through ‘Genuine Service Excellence,’ meet growing demand for SorbIts^®, and help our customers operate more safely and sustainably.”

The groundbreaking ceremony included representatives from the Jefferson Economic & Industrial Development Authority, Jefferson County Commission, the Birmingham Business Alliance, ARCO/Murray, and project partners.

Located in Jefferson Metropolitan Park McCalla (JeffMet McCalla), just outside Birmingham, the new facility will be ITU AbsorbTech’s sixth processing plant and first in Alabama when it opens, which is expected in July 2027. The plant will add to the company’s network of 16 locations nationwide.

The McCalla facility will feature state-of-the-art laundering and recovery systems, enabling the company to process millions of pounds of reusable textiles and absorbents annually. The plant is intended to be registered to the ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standard, in line with ITU AbsorbTech’s other processing locations.

“We chose McCalla for its strong business climate, strategic regional location and high-quality workforce,” Bald says. “Partnerships with local schools and workforce programs will be important as we grow our team and support manufacturing careers in the area.”

The project is expected to create around 40 new jobs in areas such as production and processing; maintenance; route service and sales; and business development.

“We’re thankful to our team, our customers, our partners, the Leef family, and this community for making this milestone possible,” Bald shares.

A family-owned company since 1930, ITU AbsorbTech partners with many of the world’s leading manufacturers in industries such as automotive; aerospace and aviation; defense; transportation equipment; commercial and consumer packaging; metal fabrication; and injection molding plastics through environmentally focused managed service programs.