You’d think a global leader in air quality—with 30 manufacturing plants, 5,700 employees and more than $1.3 billion in sales—might be immune to disruption.
Then came two tornadoes. And a pandemic.
For Sweden-based Camfil, those events hit hard. In March 2020, a tornado destroyed one of two buildings at the company’s Airport Road campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Then, in December 2021, a second tornado struck a temporary facility in Trumann, Arkansas—right as COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on global supply chains.
It was a one-two punch that forced a complete rethink—not just of how Camfil rebuilt, but where and why.
A New Site, A Bigger Vision
Camfil had already planned to expand production capacity in the U.S. before disaster struck. But the back-to-back tornadoes accelerated that urgency—and sharpened the stakes.
In fall 2021, the company committed to building a new air pollution control (APC) facility in Jonesboro. Around the same time, it announced a second major investment: a new air filtration manufacturing plant in Kilgore, Texas.
Originally budgeted at $50 million for a 350,000-square-foot footprint, the Kilgore facility would house Camfil’s full product range. But that plan didn’t last long.
“COVID-19 was creating a new normal for U.S. manufacturing with material supply delays and limited material availability,” said John Williams, director of capital projects, Camfil USA. “That would mean a price increase of 30% or more for the Kilgore facility.”
Faced with ballooning costs and a fast-changing world, Camfil’s team went back to the drawing board.
Bigger, Stronger, Smarter
By the time ground broke in September 2024, the project had doubled in scope and budget. The new Kilgore facility is now set to be Camfil’s largest single manufacturing site in the world, with 418,000 square feet of production space and an investment of $100 million.
How Camfil’s Kilgore Facility Cuts Carbon
Clean air starts with cleaner buildings. Here’s how Camfil kept sustainability front and center while scaling up in Texas:
Tilt-up concrete walls built with thermal insulation sandwiched inside—cutting heat transfer and energy use
Local materials sourced close to the site to slash emissions from transport
A TPO membrane roof with R-30 insulation to keep cooling costs down in the Texas heat
LED lighting and Low-E glass throughout for maximum efficiency and minimal waste
Original forestation left intact, with added landscaping to fight heat-island effect
Detention ponds designed to handle stormwater without overloading city systems
“Kilgore won Camfil’s selection after careful consideration,” said Camfil USA President Armando Brunetti. “Several compelling factors, including a skilled labor force, strategic location, excellent real estate options and support from Kilgore’s Economic Development Corporation influenced our decision.”
Set to open in 2025, the plant will produce and distribute all Camfil 5-Star products across North America, serving industries from pharmaceuticals to microelectronics.
Designing for Resilience—and Sustainability
Memphis-based Fisher Arnold, the project architect, designed both the Kilgore facility and the APC rebuild in Jonesboro. For Kilgore, the focus was on durability, efficiency and low embodied carbon.
“The carbon footprint will be very small for a building of this size,” said Howard Glatstein, AIA, NCARB, and principal at Fisher Arnold.
Key strategies included:
- Tilt-up composite concrete panels: A sandwich of concrete and insulation that creates a thermal break to reduce energy transfer.
- Locally sourced materials: To avoid emissions from transporting precast elements.
- High-performance roofing: A TPO membrane with insulation that creates an R-value of ~30.
- LED lighting and Low-E glass: For energy efficiency and light quality.
- Thermally broken aluminum framing: To reduce temperature loss at glass-to-frame connections.
Camfil also preserved much of the site’s original tree cover and added landscaping to combat the heat-island effect. Stormwater detention ponds help manage runoff without overburdening Kilgore’s drainage infrastructure.
Getting It Right Before It’s Built
To navigate the complexity of the new site, general contractor CDI Contractors used a building information modeling (BIM) approach that transformed the 2D AutoCAD files from Fisher Arnold into a collaborative 3D model.
“You can see errors in the building layout in advance,” said Justin Brodnax, senior project manager at CDI. “BIM also allows for some pre-fabrication of materials that can be measured, built and brought to the site. We know they’re going to fit because we’ve modeled them in a 3D format.”
The result has been significant: Fewer mistakes. Less rework. Faster timelines.
Built to Waste Less, Operate Smarter
Camfil’s approach to sustainability doesn’t stop with energy efficiency. The company’s manufacturing process typically uses little water, but waste management still plays a big role.
The Kilgore facility will deploy high-efficiency trash compactors that reduce both landfill volume and labor requirements. Some models will also support recycling and sorting on-site, cutting transportation costs and carbon impact.
Jobs, Growth and a Stronger Supply Chain
With 226 new jobs expected, the Kilgore site will serve as a critical hub in Camfil’s U.S. manufacturing network, especially in the face of future disruptions.
More than just a plant, the facility is a response to a world that’s changing fast, from supply shocks to climate risks to soaring demand for cleaner air.
And while Camfil can’t stop the next tornado or pandemic, it’s making sure it’s ready when it comes.
