The company said the facility’s name, Charles & Ann Connors Advanced Research Facility, is in memory of its founder Charles William Baldridge Connors and his wife Ann. It will be headed by Dominic Pautler, vice president of research and intellectual property at Magneco/Metrel. 

“Our goal is to pioneer sustainable, environmentally friendly manufacturing methods that provide greater control of refractory properties,” said Chuck Connors, chairman and chief executive officer of Magneco/Metrel. 

Pautler has been with the company since 1989. During his tenure, he’s served as quality manager, leading the company’s ISO 9000 certification efforts. Eventually, he became plant manager for the Negley facility before leading product development at headquarters in Addison, Ill. 

He was the plant manager for Magneco/Metrel in Tianjin, China, from 2006 to 2024. He set up operations, provided training to installers of Magneco’s material and gave technical support to the China team. 

Pautler’s wife, Kai Kang, began working as an administrative/research assistant for the Tianjin location in 2016. She will continue her work as a research assistant at the Walnut facility. 

The R&D facility is estimated to be fully operational in early 2026.