Continental’s Norfolk, Nebraska hose plant, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

“We are proud to share in this 40th anniversary celebration of a very valuable and productive facility,” said Jim Hill, ContiTech CEO for the North America Region. “This plant has made hydraulic and industrial hose for applications all over the world, and we are confident that it will continue that process into the future.”

The plant was built and began business operations in 1979. Stan Patzel was the facility’s first plant manager.   “Stan is retired now and lives in the Lincoln area, but he and the early pioneers of our plant still remain in touch with us,” said Dan Granatowicz, current plant manager. Today, the 282,000 sq. ft. plant rests on 100 acres about 115 miles northwest of Omaha and 120 miles north of Lincoln, the state capital which is the home of another Continental plant.

“Our facility has been a strong contributor to the Continental family of hose,” said Granatowicz. “This is due in great part to an exceptional workforce and we look forward to at least another 40 years of successful operations.”

The facility produces more than 70 million feet of hose a year and has produced more than 2.5 billion feet of hose in its 40-year existence. The Norfolk plant manufactures hydraulic and industrial hose for a variety of industrial applications including a wide variety of fuel dispensing, freon charging, mine spray and general purpose hose.

“The Norfolk plant is part of an organization that enables us to strategically position ourselves to provide dynamic growth for all of the hose markets in which we compete in the North America region,” said Hill. “We will continue to grow our customer network and provide the seamless distribution of our products with our focus on North America.”