ITU AbsorbTech Breaks Ground on New McCalla, Alabama Facility, Expanding Reusable Environmental Solutions for Industry

ITU AbsorbTech has broken ground on a new 50,000-square-foot processing facility in McCalla, Alabama. As the world’s leading provider of launderable reusable oil absorbents and shop towels under the SorbIts® brand, the Wisconsin-based company is expanding its environmentally friendly solutions to manufacturers and printing operations across the Southeast.

“Today marks an important step forward for ITU AbsorbTech,” said Craig Bald, President and CEO. “We’re excited to break ground on this new facility to expand our operational capabilities, support our team and customers through Genuine Service Excellence, meet growing demand for SorbIts®, and help our customers operate more safely and sustainably.”

Located in Jefferson Metropolitan Park (JeffMet McCalla), just outside Birmingham, the new facility will be ITU AbsorbTech’s sixth processing plant and first in Alabama, adding to its network of 16 locations nationwide. ITU AbsorbTech partnered with ARCO/Murray to design and construct the facility, drawing on the firm’s experience delivering more than 250 industrial laundry and textile processing facilities, along with teams in both Wisconsin and Alabama backed by a nationwide network of design-build professionals.

The McCalla facility will feature state-of-the-art laundering and recovery systems, enabling the company to process millions of pounds of reusable textiles and absorbents annually. The plant is intended to be registered to the ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standard, in line with ITU AbsorbTech’s other processing locations.

“We chose McCalla for its strong business climate, strategic regional location, and high-quality workforce,” Bald said. “Partnerships with local schools and workforce programs will be important as we grow our team and support manufacturing careers in the area.”

The new McCalla facility is expected to create approximately 40 jobs in production and processing, maintenance, route service and sales, and business development.

“As ITU AbsorbTech expands into a new market, our role is to make that transition as seamless as possible,” said Tom Pilewicz, Project Manager at ARCO/Murray. “We’ve worked on hundreds of laundry facilities over the years, so we understand what it takes to keep these operations running efficiently. By combining that experience with local knowledge, we’re helping deliver a facility that supports ITU AbsorbTech’s operations and long-term business goals.”

A family-owned company since 1930, ITU AbsorbTech partners with many of the world’s leading manufacturers in industries such as automotive, aerospace and aviation, defense, transportation equipment, commercial and consumer packaging, metal fabrication, and injection molding plastics through environmentally focused managed service programs.

“We’re thankful to our team, our customers, our partners, the Leef family, and this community for making this milestone possible,” said Bald. The groundbreaking ceremony included representatives from the Jefferson Economic & Industrial Development Authority, Jefferson County Commission, the Birmingham Business Alliance, ARCO/Murray, and project partners.

Construction is expected to be completed by July 2027.