LG Chem expands in Evansville with Uniseal warehouse project
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The construction of a 73,000-square-foot warehouse is underway in Evansville this summer at Uniseal, an automotive sealants and adhesives manufacturer and subsidiary of South Korea-based LG Chem.
The new facility at 1014 E. Uhlhorn St. is expected to be completed in October by a design-build team that includes California-based Salas O’Brien, an engineering and technical consulting firm, and Traylor Building, a member of Evansville-based Traylor Construction Group.
“Uniseal is a worldwide leader in automotive sealants and adhesives, and we’re proud to be a part of their growing operations,” said Barb Daum, Traylor Building’s director of operations, in a press release.
The warehouse expansion is projected to strengthen the Evansville company’s adhesive and sealant manufacturing capabilities in the future.
“We have been growing for the past three years, and we are planning for significant growth for the coming three years,” said Jayne Allerellie, Uniseal president.
As the structure takes shape, Daum said her team is sharing information with LG Chem and its Atlanta cohort to bear in mind for other potential initiatives.
“We’ve been giving them a lot of data,” said Daum. “Utilizing Procore [construction management platform], utilizing some drone footage, photos, graphics and providing all that information that we do weekly helps them understand how the project is progressing and what’s going on at the site.”
About Uniseal and LG Chem
Uniseal has been operating in Evansville for more than 60 years, launching production in a 40,000-square-foot facility on Diamond Ave. in 1962. George Koch Sons, now Koch Enterprises, acquired the business in 1985 and eventually opened offices in China and India in 2012.
LG Chem, which has six businesses in the United States and dozens of companies in its global network, bought Uniseal in 2018. The science-oriented corporation’s areas of interest include petrochemicals, advanced materials and life sciences.
“Since LG Chem’s acquisition of Uniseal, we have grown over 40% and plan an additional 30% growth over the next two years,” said Abbey Weintraut, Uniseal’s human resources manager.
Uniseal uses custom equipment, LEAN manufacturing practices and Six Sigma quality standards in its operations. Besides the automotive industry, the Evansville manufacturer also serves the agriculture and heavy equipment, general industrial and heavy truck and trailer markets.
“Evansville is a strong community, and we are proud to be investing in it,” Allerellie said in a press release.
The new warehouse aligns with Uniseal’s mission to push the boundaries of adhesives compounding and formulation and develop unique and effective industry solutions.
“Our latest product offerings are our [electric vehicle] material line and paint shop materials for automotive manufacturers both in the states and abroad,” Weintraut said.
Uniseal’s Evansville campus expansion
Uniseal’s current 150,000-square-foot facility in Evansville houses manufacturing, research and development and the company’s headquarters. At least six additional production cells are expected to be added in 2025.
Allerellie, who’s been Uniseal’s president since 2023 and with the company for nearly 40 years, said the new warehouse is not the manufacturer’s first addition in Evansville.
“It is the first freestanding, new building that we’ve ever built. We have expanded a couple of times previously,” said Allerellie.
The new facility will feature a material handling annex, material storage, finished product storage, cold storage, shipping and receiving zones, loading docks and an enhanced logistics area.
“We’re trying to match the existing building, and we have a connector into it,” said Daum. “We want to make sure there is consistency.”
Daum said local subcontractors were hired to work on the project. The warehouse is expected to create 50 new Uniseal positions, according to Weintraut.
“We are excited to bring more jobs and opportunities into the local Evansville area and increase our global adhesive provider position by increasing capacity,” Weintraut said.
Traylor Building’s warehouse progress
Traylor Building, which works in commercial, educational, health care and athletic facilities sectors, started construction on Uniseal’s new facility in December 2024. Four months later, teams from Traylor Building, Salas O’Brien and Sterling Industrial Ironworkers and Operators celebrated the final beam placement.
Since the building is now enclosed and weatherproofed, Daum said crews are working on the interior studs and drywall. The workers attempt to keep the summer heat at bay with fans and hydration and try not to interfere with Uniseal’s production.
“We’re right in the middle of where they have existing silos, where they’re bringing in materials. We’re making sure that we’re maintaining those operations on the north end, and then on the south end is where they’re having trucks coming in and out of their facility as well. We’re in between the north and south with this building and making sure that everything’s running smoothly,” said Daum.
Daum said working on a build with an international organization like LG Chem requires enhanced communication and great attention to detail.
“Understanding, when we were getting this project at the beginning, some of the education and language barriers to make sure that they understood what we were talking about and vice versa, we understood what their wants and needs are,” said Daum. “Making sure that we’re implementing their strict standards, especially with the products. Even though this is a warehouse, it has different storage type areas that have different fire codes.”
Daum credits collaboration among all the stakeholders for the progress so far on the warehouse.
“It truly is a partnership, not only [with LG Chem and Uniseal], but with the design team, Salas [O’Brien], and with all our subcontractors. Everybody appreciates all the schedules that we put out, and that we just don’t talk and say, ‘Do it this way.’ We have an open forum in our subcontractor meeting and make sure nobody’s in each other’s way, and we work together,” Daum said.