In the afternoon, about 80 guests attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Perry plant, among them representatives of the community, Houston County and the state of Georgia. State Governor Nathan Deal addressed the audience: “Thank you is all we can say. This is another great German company. Germany is one of the three leading investors in the state of Georgia. […] And you are an important part of continuing that tradition.” He also emphasised the team effort involved in setting up a new plant: “All of you are an important part of what allowed this to come to its fruition.”

On his part, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, President & CEO of Sandler AG, thanked the Sandler teams in Perry and Schwarzenbach/Saale, as well as the regional partners in Georgia, who actively supported the establishment of the new facility. “When the decision to build a plant here in the U.S. was finalised, I told my management team: We are facing a marathon”, Dr. Sandler recollected. “At that point we did not know where in the US our finishing line would be. […] In Perry, we found people eager to welcome us as part of their community and new team members eager to take part in building up Sandler Nonwoven Corporation. [...] And yet, the plant here in Perry is but one stage of our marathon.”

Together with Governor Deal, Dr. Sandler cut the ceremonial ribbon, officially inaugurating the facility. This ceremony also provided a new starting signal: for the future development of Sandler Nonwoven Corporation with the resulting benefits to the community. During their visit, Governor Deal and his wife Sandra also got a first-hand look at nonwovens production during a tour of the plant.

A few hours later, Dirndl, Lederhosen, Oktoberfest-games and German cuisine set the proper Bavarian atmosphere at the evening event appropriately called the “Sandler Oktoberfest.” At Southern Bridle Farms in Fort Valley, Georgia, approximately 300 guests celebrated this truly historic day for Sandler. Among the attendees were customers and business partners, representatives from the political sphere and local organisations, members of the regional and trade press, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation’s members of staff and Sandler AG’s management team.

Tobias Baumgaertel, President of Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, thanked his team, Sandler AG and the local partners for their dedication and support, without which setting up the new manufacturing plant would not have been possible. He also expressed his gratitude towards his family, who took this major step into a new life in the U.S. together with him. Tobias Baumgaertel emphasised the warm welcome Sandler had received in Perry and summarised that the nonwovens manufacturer could not have found a better location for its first overseas plant.