Will Reach a Total of 150 Employees in 2-3 Years

REPRINTED FROM THE REVIEW TIMES (STORY BY LOU WILIN and PHOTO BY TOM PERNECKER) — Nox Corp., a South Korean vinyl tile maker, is hiring 50 people as it moves into the former Atlas Crankshaft building in Fostoria.

Nox Corp. also will be hiring 50 more workers in a year, and will reach a total of 150 in two to three years, a company representative said this week.

Production will start in mid to late fall, said Joshua Clark, human resources manager. Nox is based in Seoul, South Korea. Its vinyl tile is sold by distributors to commercial customers, like large office buildings and hospitals in over 50 countries.

Its Fostoria factory will be its first in the United States.

“This is a big win for Fostoria,” said Renee Smith, president of Fostoria Economic Development Corp. “We’re very excited.”

She and state economic development officials are working on potential financial incentives for Nox.

The company will invest tens of millions of dollars in machinery, equipment and building renovations, Clark said. It is also building a $2 million, 16,820-square-foot addition onto the existing 330,000 square feet at the former Atlas building on U.S. 23 at Fostoria’s southern edge. The 60-foot tall addition towers over the existing building.

Nox is interviewing candidates for about 10 management and administrative jobs.

In August, it will start taking steps to fill about 40 skilled production, quality control and maintenance jobs. Wages will start at $12 per hour, and will increase to $16 per hour in a year, Clark said.

Nox was drawn to Fostoria by recommendations within the flooring industry.

“We are in the heart of manufacturing in the state of Ohio,” Clark said.

The proximity of U.S. 23, U.S. 224 and Interstate 75 also were key factors. Customers for the Fostoria plant will primarily be in the U.S., Clark said. But product could be shipped overseas.

Those seeking employment with Nox can apply now at Nox US, P.O. Box 824, Fostoria, Ohio 44830.

The former occupant of the building on U.S. 23, Atlas Crankshaft, employed over 1,000 people in the 1970s. The plant closed in 2009 with less than 300 workers.