The Italian company SAATI made a bold move in 2010 when it acquired a large vacant building in Fountain Inn and expanded production of all of its lines of advanced materials.
It was not an easy move, but SAATI is in full production of materials for medical and acoustic filters, screen-printing, carbon composites for the automotive industry – primarily now for racecars – and bulletproof armor for the military and police.
In its first 27 years in North America, SAATI produced only screen-printing and filter materials, first in Somers, N.Y., and then for 25 years in Chicago.
Walter Toscano, who runs the Fountain Inn plant and is chief operating officer of the company, said SAATI took the leap because owner Alberto Novarese “strongly believes the United States is a big potential market for SAATI’s business. He is a big fan of the United States.”
The company has plenty of room to grow. It purchased for $3.7 million the nearly 260,000-square-foot plant that KEMET put on the market in 2007 when it moved capacitor production to Mexico. “On top of this, we have a lot of land [48 acres], which eventually can be used to enlarge the plant,” Toscano said.
So far, he said, it is working out well. The company, which initially projected employment of 80 “within the next few years,” is up to 120, including some experienced employees who transferred from Chicago and Italy.
“Obviously, there were difficulties related to the move and establishing a completely new production plant,” Toscano said. “We had to move equipment from Chicago to South Carolina and bring new technologies from Europe.”
SAATI has plants in Italy, France, Germany, China and India, as well as in Fountain Inn. It has a sales office in Somers and distribution centers in Gardenia, Calif., and Ontario, Canada.
Founded in 1935 to weave silk for flour sifting, the company adapted and expanded through the years to produce technologically sophisticated materials, all of which “start with thread.”
With its filter and screen-printing segments well established in North America, the company “sees a very high growth potential” for ballistic protection and advanced composites after just two years of production, Toscano said.
He said the company supplies specially treated carbon materials to makers of racecars and in Europe to high-end automakers such as Audi, Ferrari and Lamborghini. “Advanced composites compared to steel or aluminum are lighter,” he said, “so the car’s fuel consumption is much lower, and you have the same resistance.”
While use of advanced composites “is in the early stage in the automotive industry” in the United States, interest “is growing, and we see a very high potential,” Toscano said.
“The government is pushing to have lighter cars to drive more miles per gallon, and having lighter material is a way to achieve this,” he said. “Efficiency of the engine is part of this, and the weight of the car is another factor.”
Because it is more expensive, carbon board material may not now be an economical replacement for steel and aluminum for all car parts, but for “some heavy parts” it can make a significant weight difference, Toscano said.
For the same reason, he said, advanced composites are “becoming more and more popular” for airplane construction.
SAATI’s ballistic protection division serves customers who make lightweight bulletproof vests and helmets and armored vehicles and aircraft for the military and police and for VIP vehicles.
There were compelling reasons for choosing South Carolina over other places to expand its production, Toscano said. Among them was the Upstate’s textile legacy.
“In all four divisions, the starting point for all the materials is a woven fabric. For sure, textiles is a very important part of our process, and in the area we found a lot of people with experience in weaving and fabric treatment.”
He also cited “the great support we got from the state and Greenville County in solving all the problems of a company moving a facility from one state to another … [and] moving technologies from Europe.”
Another factor was Fountain Inn’s convenient access to interstates, proximity to major markets and ports in Charleston and Savannah.
SAATI committed to an investment of $10 million for the new plant. The Greenville County Council approved a $3 million grant to subsidize the cost of land, buildings, improvements and machinery. The county also granted, through an in-lieu payment, a reduction on property taxes of 40 percent for 20 years. As customary, the state provides credits on business income taxes if hiring goals are met.
