This local company making big moves has a fascinating history dating back to 1873

A company seeking to double its local workforce debuted its new $10 million facility earlier this month in Lebanon’s Kingsview Industrial Park.

Kadant Black Clawson, a global supplier of fiber processing systems for the pulp and paper industry, opened a 130,000-square-foot facility at 425 Kingsview Drive.

READ MORE: This 145-year-old area company is moving to Lebanon and hiring

The company’s roots stretch back to Butler County.

In 1873, Francis Black and Linus Clawson established Black Clawson as a machinery repair shop in Hamilton, according to Nancy Myles, human resources manager for Kadant.

Shortly after, they expanded their product line to include paper machinery. In 1892, Charles Shartle arrived on the scene and recognized the abundance of paper mills in the area and their need for repairs.

“He started the Middletown Machine Shop in 1892, and in 1899, the Shartle Brothers Machinery Company was formed to design and manufacture paper machinery,” Myles said. “Because Shartle and Black Clawson’s equipment complemented each other so well, in 1926 Black Clawson purchased Shartle Brothers and the Black Clawson Company-Shartle Division was formed with headquarters in Middletown.”

That small beginning evolved over the years into Kadant Black Clawson, which operated out of Mason since 2002 before its latest move.

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