ABITEC’s Facility Expansion Promises New Manufacturing Capabilities

After producing quality products for more than 50 years, ABITEC is now reaping the rewards of a brand new expansion to their central Janesville facility. The work began in 2014 and has since happened in several phases, each significantly improving the automation and validation capabilities of the facility. Ultimately, the completed expansion is designed to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity, allowing the company to expand even further into exciting new markets by offering a range of additional products.

Two state-of-the-art reactors were included in the expansion to allow ABITEC to produce high-melting, small-volume products, which will accommodate niche market needs. In the current phase of the expansion, the company is focusing on improving filtration and packaging capabilities, which will complete the overall upgrade. In the end, it will all add up to a more versatile base of operations that can tend to the needs of a broader consumer base.

Product Development and QC Manager, Jeff Fulton notes “We have put a lot of resources forward to make this transition and it’s exciting to finally utilize the new equipment and begin reaping the benefits of our labor.”

VP of Operations, John Bielas offered his thoughts on the expansion, commenting “This addition to the Janesville facility is really about expanding our capabilities, bringing new technologies to our customers and advancing ourselves through automation and improved processing.” As Bielas points out, “these new additions add a combination of versatility and efficiency, which will allow us to reach a broader variety of markets and streamline our production, all while maintaining the level of quality control we are known for.”

Throughout the construction process, ABITEC focused all of their substantial resources toward a smooth transition that could benefit all members of the company. Maintenance manager, Jeff Crane commented directly on the process, saying “contractors were on site daily and thousands of hours were put in without one reported incident. In 17 years of working for ABITEC, I have never seen a single contractor harmed. That’s world-class safety.”

ABITEC Corporation is part of ABF Ingredients and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, US with two manufacturing sites in the Midwest. ABITEC specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of specialty lipid ingredients for use in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and specialty chemical markets.
In addition, ABITEC offers contract and toll manufacturing services for customers looking to develop and manufacture new oleochemical molecules or blend/toll-manufacture an established product.

ABF Ingredients is a division of Associated British Foods that focuses on high value ingredients for both food and non-food areas and comprises a range of ingredient companies which include AB Enzymes, Ohly, PGP International, and SPI Pharma. The group has established strong market positions in cereal specialties, enzymes, esters, extruded ingredients, specialty lipids, specialty powders, specialty flours and yeast extracts worldwide.