Kaydon Corp. (USA; NYSE: KDN) has revealed details of a previously-announced bearing manufacturing expansion program, investing at least USD $18.5 million to expand its second Sumter, South Carolina plant. The expansion is needed to meet fast-growing demand for high-precision bearings destined for medical CT scanners and security scanners.

Kaydon operates North American bearing plants in Muskegon, Michigan; Sumter, South Carolina; Mocksville, North Carolina; and Monterrey, Mexico.

There are two Kaydon bearing plants in Sumter -- Plant 4 and Plant 12, which together cover more than 300,000 square feet and employ approximately 200 workers. This expansion targets Plant 12, which opened in 1991. Plant 4 is also being expanded with an investment of $11 million to produce more bearings for the wind energy market, a move which is creating approximately 40 new jobs.

The $18.5 million Plant 12 expansion, and the 50 or more additional jobs it will bring, is needed because the facility is reportedly running at or near capacity with significant additional bearing demand expected. Worldwide, sales of CT scanners, such as the one pictured below from GE, are booming. Invented in the early 1970's, the technology has quickly matured and become relatively more affordable.

Similar scanners are used for security inspections of luggage and other materials, a closely related market which is also growing very quickly.

GE VCT scanner (courtesy GE)

A CT (or CAT) scanner is a Computerized Axial Tomography Scanner. Essentially a CT scanner is an X-ray machine which circles the body and captures a large number of digital images, in cross-section. The scans can be viewed separately, as "slices" through the body, or powerful computer software can be used is used to combine the images to they can be viewed as a unified body scan or even assembled into a three-dimensional image.

Kaydon's production boost will initially target the largest CT scanner bearings, needed to precisely support and locate the 2,000+ pound scanners as the X-ray head and sensors rotate around the patient.

the exposed internal workings of a CT scanner on Wikipedia
Each bearing requires more than 25 hours to manufacture.

More about CT Scanning: the definitive website maintained by the Advanced Medical Imaging Laboratory (AMIL) at Johns Hopkins:

CT Is Us.com
L. Jeffrey Manzagol, Kaydon Bearings Division President, said: "We see both the medical and security scanner markets as growing and markets that we have participated in for many years. The products that we manufacture are vital components in medical diagnostic equipment, like CT (Computed Tomography), and luggage screening machines at airports and other checkpoints. We feel that demand in these market segments for our products is very strong globally and that we can offer the best technical solution to serve these markets. The $18.5 million investment will allow Kaydon to increase manufacturing capabilities to maintain our position as the technology leader for these markets. It will also increase our manufacturing capacity, allowing us to not only keep pace with these growing markets, but to further gain market share."

Mr. Manzagol went on to say: "We chose to invest in this Sumter facility because the facility has performed at a very high level since it was opened in 1991 and we have developed a solid workforce with the skills that can support this type of product. Sumter currently has the greatest concentration of Kaydon Bearings’ manufacturing capacity. This investment coupled with our recent investment at our other Sumter facility to support the wind energy market, strengthens our commitment to this community and our reliance on Sumter, South Carolina."