Gray and EGGER Hold Safety and Topping Off Celebration

EGGER selected Gray to partner on its first U.S. manufacturing operation. Construction of the state-of the-art facility in Lexington, North Carolina began in September. This month marks more than 427,000 man hours completed with zero lost time incidents.

“Our No. 1 core value is to put safety and quality of life first, and we strive to have every member of our project team including EGGER, Gray and all our partners and vendors understand and practice this commitment,” said Stephen Gray, president and CEO of Gray. “We are thrilled to partner on EGGER’s 20^th plant worldwide and reach these significant milestones.”

“We want to thank EGGER and the entire team that is working to achieve these exciting objectives,” he added.

“As an anchor project for the South Atlantic region, EGGER is truly making a significant impact on both the local economy and beyond,” said Brett Goode, senior vice president of Gray South Atlantic. “We’re proud to play a role in this monumental effort.”

A topping off ceremony dates back to European building traditions and signifies when the major structural elements of a construction project are complete.

“At EGGER, where we have a deep respect for the natural resource of wood and are committed to sustainable use of wood, we believe this historic tradition is an appropriate way to mark an important milestone in construction of our Lexington manufacturing facility,” said Karl Grasser, project manager for Finance/Administration at EGGER. 

The highly automated facility will produce panel products used in a variety of manufacturing items, including cabinetry, residential and commercial furniture and casework. It is scheduled to be complete in the spring of 2020.

Over 420 workers are currently on the project.

About Gray

Gray is a nationally ranked engineering, architecture and construction firm with nearly 60 years of experience in manufacturing, food and beverage, automotive, distribution and retail facility construction. Currently, Gray has several large projects that are under way or recently completed including: a new global logistics parts consolidation center (PCC) for Mercedes-Benz in Woodstock, Ala.; custom-fitted NorthStar Kitchens for Champion Petfoods in Alberta, Canada; a new paint shop for Volvo Car US Operations Inc. in Ridgeville, S.C.; integrated paper mills for Sofidel in Circleville, Ohio and Inola, Okla.; a fresh pork processing facility in Coldwater, Mich., for Clemens Food Group, recognized as a Manufacturing Innovation award winner by ProFood World Magazine; and a state-of-the-art facility for Kraft Heinz in Davenport, Iowa, named Food Engineering Magazine’s 2018 Plant of the Year.

For more information on Gray, visit https://www.gray.com/ and follow us @grayconstructio.