Norris Cylinder Expands into Huntsville

Jerry Van Auken, president of Norris Cylinder, David Wathen, President and CEO of TriMas and Don Nalley, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce celebrate the acquisition of Taylor Wharton. (click photo to enlarge)

July 14, 2010 - Norris Cylinder, which recently acquired Taylor Wharton, celebrated its official grand opening in Huntsville at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Norris Cylinder, part of the publicly traded TriMas Corporation, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-pressure and low-pressure gas cylinders for storage, transportation and dispensing of compressed industrial gases. Norris plans to move a product line from its California plant to Huntsville, which could lead to the company adding employees to take on new work, company officials say.

Jerry Van Auken, president of Norris Cylinder, said that he and his team are committed to the Huntsville plant and see many similarities between the Huntsville plant and its headquarters in Longview, Texas.

“The first thing I noticed about this plant is how similar it is to the one in Longview. One such is example is that at our Texas plant, the average employee has been there for 14 years and at the Huntsville plant the average employee has been there for 18 years. You just don’t see that much anymore. We are looking forward to a great future here and hope to bring a lot of volume down here,” Van Auken said.

David Wathen, President and CEO of TriMas, said that the investment in the Huntsville plant is in line with TriMas’ goal of making advanced products.

“TriMas tries to be in business with products that are hard to design and hard to manufacture. That is why the Huntsville facility is so important to us,” he said.

Norris Cylinder announced the acquisition of Taylor-Wharton, previously Coyne Cylinders, in Huntsville to expand its client base and to capitalize on unique market opportunities in the Huntsville/Madison County community. Coyne Cylinders had been in business for 50 years before being acquired by Taylor Wharton.

Don Nalley, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that the acquisition of the plant shows the confidence companies have in the Huntsville community and its skilled workforce.

“This move signifies confidence in our community and in the quality of our local workforce,” said Nalley.

Mayor Tommy Battle welcomed Norris to Huntsville.

“We welcome Norris to Huntsville and know that you will find that we really have something special to help you grow in our dedicated, intelligent workforce,” Battle said.

Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie committed to partner with the company to help it grow.

“We are here to be your to partner to make sure that you are as successful as you can be,” Gillespie said.