MAPEI Corp. has acquired an 80,500 sq. ft. building on 5.2 acres of property at 2308 Dalton Industrial Court in Dalton, Ga. The new facility is located within a mile of the company’s APAC adhesives production plant, which MAPEI purchased last April.

“We will begin retrofitting the plant to produce MAPEI powdered products starting in 2010; the availability of raw materials makes the location ideal for our purposes,” said Ray Knecht, MAPEI unit manager for the Dalton operations. “In the meantime, we will start using the plant space immediately as a regional distribution center for products from our Tile & Stone Installation Systems and our Concrete Restoration Systems. We will give our customers in the Southeast improved service while recognizing savings in shipping times.”

The property will serve another purpose as well. “We have already begun to set up a new Center of Excellence for adhesives research,” said Dr. Neil McMurdie, director of research and development for MAPEI Americas. “Our Senior Group Leader for the Adhesive Laboratory in Deerfield Beach, (Fla.), Jose Piedra, will be relocating to the Dalton facility to carry on research with MAPEI’s ultra-low-VOC adhesives in the Ultrabond ECO line. We are also expanding our research into next-generation pressure-sensitive adhesives and acrylic specialty systems to lead new innovations into the OEM marketplace.”

In addition, the new site will include state-of-the-art training facilities with both classroom space and hands-on workshop areas, MAPEI said.