Leading manufacturer of decorating materials, Southern Wall Products, marks the beginning of its latest evolution with an all-new production facility
For over 40 years, Southern Wall Products has remained a reliable partner to construction companies across the Southeastern US. The company has a long history, as Vice President, TJ Maunder, details: “The Southern Wall Products, Inc. company was established in 1981. Its founders built the manufacturing facility in Tucker, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. We started as a small business that produced finishing products under the Ruco® label – and from the beginning we have been committed to surpassing the highest standards of quality, reliability, and service in the industry.
“Southern Wall Products manufactures ready-mix joint compounds, set-type joint compounds, and wall & ceiling textures. We also provide a Level 5 surfacing
product. All these products are utilized for the finishing of gypsum wallboards in various construction projects. The expansion of our product line, advances in our manufacturing and fulfillment processes, and additional communication mediums, have changed the way we operate over the decades. Our operations have evolved, yet those changes are still centered upon the original commitment to create high-quality products and deliver them to our customers with excellence.”
Significant expansion
Setting the industry standard ensures Southern Wall Products’ place as an industry forerunner, as company President, Chris Winkler, affirms: “Ruco® brand products are the choice of professionals in the construction industry. We strive to always provide the highest quality and most consistent products to our customers. To support this, Southern Wall Products has developed a culture of focusing on the details that truly matter and providing an unmatched level of service. Every member of the team is empowered to do the right thing, whether that’s answering a query, or simply going the extra mile.”
Boasting unparalleled industry know-how, and decades of experience, Southern Wall Products is now preparing for its biggest expansion to date. The all-new manufacturing facility is set to open in May of 2025, as TJ reveals: “We are currently in the process of building a new facility in Anderson, SC. The new facility will be approximately 25 percent larger than the current plant in Tucker, GA. At the Tucker facility, we have been working around a lack of available floor space for many years. This has hindered our ability to grow the business. With the new facility, we are designing the layout with the ability to double our manufacturing space in the future. Furthermore, the new facility will allow us to streamline the flow of tractor trailer traffic around the property.
“In addition, the new facility will give us the opportunity to add some additional products to our offering. We wanted to give ourselves the extra space to allow for expansion in all areas of the business. With new facilities, and greater freedom, our team will be able to not only work more efficiently but increase the ways in which we can support customers.”
The new facility will come locked and loaded with all the latest manufacturing technology, as TJ confirms: “Over the last 20 years we have been implementing automation to our production lines in Tucker - this includes packaging equipment and robotic palletizers, among other things. We are taking lessons learned from our Tucker facility and selecting the best equipment and systems that will help to make our Anderson facility even better.
Efficient design
“For example, we’ve leveled up our stocking system. To make our joint compounds, we need to move a lot of material, specifically powders. There have been improvements made in the last few years when it comes to automating warehouse management, and we decided to implement some of this new technology to store and transport material more effectively. The automation we’re using is pretty cutting-edge, it supports our ability to accurately weigh and convey our stock, improving our product quality and making more efficient use of it overall.”
“The new facility will also be equipped with brand-new machinery,” Chris elaborates. “In the lead up to the site becoming operational, we spoke with a lot of our vendors, and they were able to provide us with updated versions of our existing machinery. What’s interesting is a lot of these newer machines have capabilities that we’ve requested in the past. It’s exciting to see technology catching up with, and responding to, the demands of people within the industry.”
Future blueprint
In addition to the latest tech, Southern Wall Products’ new facility is also going to be supported by a core team of specially selected professionals. “We’ve got several of our most experienced staff transferring to the new plant. The existing team is full of industry experts who really know their stuff – many of them have been with us for over 20 years. They’ll be instrumental in training the new team members when they arrive. Our work is quite specific, so we put a lot of effort into instructing new employees and getting them familiar with what we do.
“That said, labor can be hard to come by. It’s been a difficult situation for a few years, but we’ve seen slightly more progress in the last six-to-12 months, which is encouraging. We’ve attracted people to the business by offering a strong benefits package. We pay above the industry standard whenever possible, which has allowed us to bring in experienced staff from competitors,” TJ shares.
With the new production facility just months away from becoming operational, Southern Wall Products is set for success. As Chris concludes: “Our company has a long history behind it. In the beginning, it was one man in his basement, building the foundations of what we are today. Now, we have 186 distribution points across the Southeastern US. The Anderson facility is the blueprint for our future. It’s not one and done. We’re going to use the plant as a model for what we want to achieve going forward. It’s phase one, not an end point, and we’re excited to find out just how far it could take us.”