H&V Floyd marks milestone anniversary with $40 million investment for new technology, plant expansion

Hollingsworth and Vose (H&V) recently celebrated a $40 million expansion of its Floyd Plant 2 location, which happened to coincide with the local R&D and manufacturing site’s 50th anniversary.

With roots that date back to colonial times and papermaking in New England, H&V opened its first stage of the Floyd operation in 1976. It was the company’s first venture outside of the Northeast. 

According to Vince Hatcher, H&V’s director of operations, it came about through happenstance as senior executives of H&V were traveling through the area and met with Floyd officials who “jumped at the opportunity” to build a plant from scratch. Hatcher noted that H&V was looking to branch out into synthetic technology and the apparel interlining business at the time, and officials were able to get the project green-lit fairly quickly. 

The shift toward filtration media in the 1990s, Hatcher explained, “was a pivotal moment” that brought new opportunities for growth to the branch.

Throughout the past 50 years, there have been six expansions of the Floyd site (now two manufacturing plants and an R&D Center of Excellence), and there are “probably 10 times more employees now than when we started,” Hatcher said. The current longest tenured employee at the Floyd site recently retired with almost 45 years as an operator.

The $40 million expansion that was celebrated earlier this month added about 28,000 square feet to Plant 2 and a new advanced manufacturing machine designed to produce the “next generation of liquid microfiltration media,” with applications in industrial, food/beverage, and biopharma, Hatcher said. The products and the manufacturing processes were developed in Floyd.

H&V CEO Josh Ayer said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was attended by local and state officials, that this investment will “allow us to manufacture cutting-edge filtration media here in Floyd for important liquid applications.”

Hatcher explained that H&V has been working on expanding its capability to produce Nanoweb and liquid microfiltration membrane solutions, including Trupor, to filter out specific particles down to 0.2 microns. Trupor membranes provide reliable, consistent pore sizes to efficiently remove “whatever you’re trying to take out of the liquid,” Hatcher said, "including particles like yeast, bacteria, suspended solids, and other impurities.”

Another innovation at H&V is called NanoWave, which is an energy-efficient air filtration media that can be applied to large commercial/industrial buildings, hospitals, and other locations that have large heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. 

Hatcher explained that NanoWave has a patented waved design that provides less resistance to air flow and up to twice the service life of traditional filter media. This energy saving product was developed in Floyd and is currently manufactured in Floyd and Hatzfeld, Germany. 

Hatcher said that “there’s a lot of pride in what the team has accomplished in Floyd,” and the operation is "not only surviving but also thriving" as new products are introduced to key markets. He added that it’s impressive to see the cross-functional teams create solutions that “will be deployed across the globe.”

“A lot of this innovation started to ramp up during the COVID pandemic, while we were working with N95 mask media, surgical hood materials, and energy-efficient filtration for indoor air quality,” Hatcher said. “There’s a lot of cross over and learning when it comes to providing high-performance filtration solutions — sometimes it’s making it easier for a healthcare worker to breathe through a mask, and sometimes it's making it easier for a fan to move air through a large HVAC system."

Congressman Morgan Griffith, who also attended the ribbon-cutting, said he is excited that H&V is “continuing to expand its footprint in Floyd and bring important products to market.”

“H&V is a wonderful American story, with roots stretching back to the 18th century. They succeed by creating excellent products that meet customer needs,” Griffith said. 

Beyond manufacturing, Hatcher emphasized Floyd H&V’s dedication to its community. “What I love about Floyd is that you don’t have to twist anyone’s arm to get them involved,” he said. There are members of the H&V team that serve the community through volunteer firefighting, working with food banks, coaching local sports teams, leading Bible studies, and taking on other roles, he said. “As we grow, we expect to do more.”

Joe Turman, Chairman of the Floyd County Board of Supervisors, spoke to H&V’s value as a “wonderful” corporate citizen. “For 50 years, H&V has been a cornerstone of our county,” said Turman. “We appreciate their continued investment in Floyd County. We are also grateful for continuing partnership with the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Floyd County EDA to support development of sites and spaces, support businesses like H&V, and develop the workforce they need.”

Hatcher said H&V is currently collaborating with other manufacturers to help establish partnerships through Virginia’s Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Tech Hub (AM 2 Tech Hub). Other members currently include Wabtec Graham White, Fastech LLC, and Meld, among others. Hatcher explained the collective exists to “connect assets in our region and develop a world-class tech hub for advanced materials and additive manufacturing." 

“We have a great foundation to build on,” he said, adding that the AM2 effort will help expand the ecosystem for technology development and advanced manufacturing throughout the region and even on the state level.

Learn more about H&V, its products, and worldwide operations at www.hollingsworth-vose.com.