TreisD opening new manufacturing facility in Knox County

Atlanta technology startup TreisD Corporation is setting its three-dimensional sights on Knox County for the launch of its futuristic manufacturing hub.

The company is taking over a 20,000-square foot-facility in the Eastbridge Business Park in Mascot to craft products using polymer plastics. TreisD focuses on turning two-dimensional images into 3D images people can view with the naked eye. TreisD can then print the images on a film that can't be replicated.

TreisD's images are incredibly complex. Humans use both eyes to see 3D images and can easily differentiate between 3D and 2D. A driver's license printed with TreisD's 3D security features would be instantly recognizable and impossible to duplicate with 2D printing technology.

Using the 3D technology also makes it impossible to tamper with packaging and branding through conventional means. And future applications are on the horizon. Doctors, for instance, could use the technology to better diagnose patients

The company has grown since starting prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and finding a centralized location to build up manufacturing was key.

That's when Silicon Valley-based CEO John Brandon thought about Tennessee.

"I actually have a friendship with Gov. Bill Haslam," Brandon told Knox News. "I remember when Gov. Haslam used to go recruit companies to move from other states to move to Tennessee."

He called Haslam and connected with the right people, narrowing down TreisD's search to three cities in Tennessee. TreisD, Brandon said, was wowed by the presentation about Knoxville and the partners who cinched the deal: Knoxville Chamber, UT, Three Roots Capital, Mollenhour Gross Real Estate, Launch Tennessee and Pinnacle Financial Partners.

It was clear Knoxville wanted TreisD, and the company's leaders felt welcomed. For a startup "you need as many friends as you can get," Brandon said, and the partnership between UT, the Chamber of Commerce and the financial institutions in the city made it a desirable location.

"It also turns out that the University of Tennessee has one of the best polymer science departments in the world, which we didn't know at the time, and since we print on polymer, the relationship with the University of Tennessee in the early days has been fantastic," Brandon said.

TreisD seeks to build up manufacturing, keep jobs local

At its new facility, TreisD will focus on three applications of its 3D technology and manufacturing:

   * Visual models to use in health care, satellite imaging and smartphone applications

   *  Anti-counterfeiting measures on product packaging

   *  Commemorative memorabilia such as physical versions of UT football tickets

 

"When you see our images, we’ve got our own intersection of art and technology," Brandon told Knox News. "Our stuff that we create is truly beautiful. It just happens to be incredibly secure and very hard to duplicate."

He compared the equipment – supplied by COLLIN Lab & Pilot Solutions in Germany – to a big printing press, but instead of paper it creates thin plastic film made from polymer resin that will be supplied by Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport. TreisD will then print 3D images onto the film.

The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025, and Brandon wants to hire around 50 people in the next two years.

Some will work in the accessible manufacturing portion, and most will be tech jobs filled by UT graduates. He wants to hire people from Knox County and East Tennessee for these positions, and he hopes to hire about 100 people total if TreisD becomes more successful.

The company's leadership is split between Silicon Valley and Georgia now, and some key leaders will move to Knoxville.

Knoxville is 'perfect' for startups

Brandon is based in Silicon Valley, but he expects to travel often to East Tennessee to work with the Knoxville-based leadership team.

He compared Knoxville to an "undiscovered gem" for startups, and TreisD is getting ahead of the crowd with its manufacturing facility. The company will have more announcements in the future, matching Knoxville's "very bright future as being a tech hub," he said.

TreisD's investment in the region aligns with new innovations and research happening nearby, like the "nuclear renaissance" in Oak Ridge from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12.

UT Chancellor Donde Plowman has plans to expand the university's research capabilities and wants to build new innovation districts in the Maplehurst neighborhood, Oak Ridge and the Research Park at Cherokee Farm.

"I feel like Knoxville is a perfect place for startups," Brandon told Knox News. "You've got the university. You have all this intellectual talent. You've got a very pro-business environment. They want tech jobs," he said. "I knew it was going to be good, but it's been better than I expected."

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, by Keenan Thomas

The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org

Published July 22, 2025