Douglas to build new idler plant in Alabama

By Kevin Yanik| February 28, 2024

Douglas Manufacturing, a manufacturer of conveyor components and engineered conveying solutions, will construct a state-of-the-art 50,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility and add four production lines at its Industrial Park Drive location in Pell City, Alabama. Photo: Douglas Manufacturing

Douglas Manufacturing broke ground on a new idler plant in Pell City, Alabama, that will be adjacent to an existing company facility.

Once finished, the company expects its multimillion-dollar facility to create more than 50 new jobs.

“We are excited to break ground on our new idler plant, which will enable us to meet the growing demand for our idler product line and keep our customers moving ahead,” says Paul Ross, president and CEO of Douglas. “This project is not only an investment in our company, but also in our community. We are proud to be part of the economic growth and development of Pell City, St. Clair County and Alabama. We are grateful to our local and state leaders for their support of this significant investment.”

According to Douglas, which is now a Rulmeca Group company, the new idler plant will be equipped with the latest equipment and automation. The company will also adopt the Rulmeca PSV idler design. Douglas says the design delivers improved sealing, stability and durability.

“This is a new great day for Rulmeca,” says Fabio Ghisalberti, executive vice president and managing director at Rulmeca. “When the acquisition of Douglas was announced last year on April 20, we declared that investments would have been realized in Pell City, increasing manufacturing capacity and products lines.

“Now, just 10 months later, we are proud to keep the promise, celebrating this first significant step toward a brilliant future for Douglas. I am pleased this takes place in Pell City [and] St. Clair County, where we are looking forward to contributing to the prosperity of the local community [and] aiming to add great value to our customers thanks to a significant investment plan both in manufacturing space and high-tech equipment.”

Douglas expects the idler plant project to be completed in 2025. enabling the company to increase its production capacity for components such as pulleys, lagging, idlers, magnetics, impact beds and take-ups.