Nearly 100 years ago, the Knox Glass Bottle Co. had six factories that produced containers for everything from perfume to prescription to milk. While that company now belongs to the ages, a new company has moved in.
Modern Living Solutions, the flagship company of Greystar, LLC; a global real estate company headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the manufacturing facility that’s currently looking to hire up to 170 employees.
Originally intended to construct modular bathroom units, the operation quickly expanded to full-scale modular apartments.
The Clarion News was granted a firsthand look at the facility and a tour of an on-site simulated stair tower model, consisting of a pair of two-bedroom apartment units and fully furnished.
Modern Living Solutions Senior Director Rick Weston explained the units currently produced at the Knox plant will go to their first project in Spring Run, Findley Township. The project consists of 312 units across six buildings, with plans to break ground this month.
Weston said the apartments are constructed from steel, as opposed to wood, and apartment sizes are dependent on design, but usually run 28, 34 or 36 feet long.
The main advantage of a modular construction unit, according to the company, is the factory-controlled environment, which means a unit can be produced 50% faster than a traditional production and virtually eliminates external factors such as weather, safety concerns and labor shortages. Modern Living Solutions does both the design and the assembly, overseeing the entire process from beginning to end.
Another unique feature within a modular design is that of the double-wall, once conjoined, greatly reduces the element of noise, according to Managing Director Andrew Mest.
“Our number one complaint in apartments is sound, and so what we’re able to do is truncate that by both the wall design that’s unique with a modular, but also with a separated floor/ceiling assembly, so that impact sound you get from high heels or kids playing is all mitigated within the design,” he said.
“Nobody in the United States is doing what we’re doing, in terms of being vertically integrated and, by that, meaning that we have a development group that identifies land opportunities, a construction team who builds it, then a factory that supplies the construction as a subcontractor.”
Mest said the company is “excited” to join the Knox community and “proud to bring a positive impact” to northwestern Pennsylvania’s economy. “We’re looking forward to building our network of talented team members, who I know will play important roles in the work we do here.”