Iotron to Open High-Tech Whitley County Facility
March 14, 2012
News Release
Columbia City, Indiana – Drawing on more than two decades as an industry leader from its Canadian facility, Iotron Industries formally launched an expanded role in the U.S. market with the opening of its new state-of-the-art IMPELA® electron-beam processing facility in northeast Indiana March 15. The new $15.3 million facility will provide contract sterilization, materials modification and microbial reduction for the orthopedic, medical device, plastics/polymer, agribusiness and commercial defense industries, according to Tino Pereira, president and CEO.
The 10 MeV (million volts) MW accelerator uses Green (electricity-fueled) technology and is more powerful than several other electron-beam facilities in the United States. Iotron’s versatile IMPLELA® technology is expected to allow more companies to covert to or embrace electron-beam services in their manufacturing processes.
“We have received a very positive response from Indiana and Midwest companies whom we contacted while the new U.S. facility was under construction, and we expect to see robust growth within a short period of time,” Pereira said. The company recently hired Jeff Pohl of Fort Wayne to serve as the company’s national sales and marketing manager, joining Jeff Blakely, a 22-year Iotron employee who is now serving as general manager of U.S. operations.
“With Jeff Blakely’s established reputation as an industry technical expert and Jeff Pohl’s deep contact base, we now have a strong leadership team in place and ready to grow the business,” Pereira said.
The Canadian facilities of Iotron already do business with American-based orthopedic companies, including companies located in the greater Warsaw area. “We have industry and academic expertise available to those companies who want to convert to or consider electron-beam processing as a replacement for gamma or gas [ethylene oxide gas],” explained Pereira. Iotron’s powerful electron-beam accelerator uses neither radioactive cobalt material nor hazardous gas to provide its services.
While well-known for its work in the orthopedic and medical device industries, Iotron also expects to see growth in the agribusiness and food industries, particularly in reducing pest and microbes, and increasing food safety.
“The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] has already approved the use of electron-beam technology to help eliminate the dangers of E. coli and other contamination in foodstuffs, and several food companies in Nebraska, Minnesota and elsewhere have embraced the positive benefits,” said Pereira.
“Indiana is thrilled to have Iotron as Indianas newest agriculture partner,” said Gina Sheets, director of economic development for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “Food safety awareness will continue to be front and center for Indiana's food production and clearly Iotron is a leader in this industry.”
The company also provides a considerable array of cross-linking and chain scission services for the plastics and polymers industries, and expects to see growth from major plastics companies located in southern Indiana and elsewhere. These same services are used by commercial defense companies.
The 54,000 sq. ft. Iotron facility was originally expected to open in late 2011, but some Japanese-built componentry was delayed in delivery following the unfortunate earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred during that year.
Iotron chose Indiana after conducting more than two years of research led by Lloyd Scott, chairman. “We considered several alternatives, but Indiana clearly emerged as the prominent leader for a variety of reasons,” said Scott. “We look forward to long-term growth here.”
The company is well known for its value propositions of partnering with its customers for innovative service, providing risk mitigation and industry expertise, and serving its customers with protocol adaption and conversion consulting, as well as validation services for new products.
About Iotron Industries
Iotron Industries began more than two decades ago in Vancouver, operating an Electron Beam service center in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. The company expanded into Indiana in 2011 to better serve U.S.-based customers. Iotron’s Electron Beam technology can modify the physical, chemical, molecular and biological properties of materials and products, improving their usefulness and enhancing their value. Using an environmentally friendly process, Iotron's IMPELA® electron beam accelerators use only electricity to operate and produce no waste materials. For more information, please visit www.iotron.com.
'