Pilkington North America, Inc. (PNA) will invest $86.8 million in its operations in Scotland County, North Carolina. The project includes the rebuild of one of its two float glass lines, expansion of existing coating capabilities, and other building and equipment improvements at the company’s float glass facility that will create 20 jobs in Laurinburg.
“This year our Laurinburg plant will celebrate its 50th anniversary,” said Stephen Weidner, Head of Architectural Glass North America and Solar. “This investment shows our ongoing commitment to our customers and the community. We appreciate the support received from the State on this project.”
PNA is a part of the Tokyo-based NSG Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of glass and glazing systems for the automotive and architectural, which includes solar, and creative technology business sectors. The NSG Group enjoys a reputation for manufacturing excellence and technological innovation, based upon its years of experience and reliability providing high quality glass products to rapidly evolving and technically challenging markets. Pilkington in the U.K. invented the float manufacturing process for glass in 1952, now the world standard for high quality glass production. The Laurinburg plant produces float glass for the architectural market. The Scotland County project will improve and upgrade the current plant’axs equipment and infrastructure, which will improve safety, capacity, and production speed.
“Global manufacturers like PNA choose North Carolina time and time again,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “This decision proves that our state’s investments in workforce development and infrastructure continue to pay off, bringing us new jobs and investments.”
Although wages for the new jobs will vary for each position, the average annual salary for the new positions is $58,825. Scotland County’s overall average annual wage is $42,644.
A performance-based grant of $75,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate PNA’s expansion. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
Australian Environmental Company Selects Iredell County, NC
EPOC Enviro will invest more than $4.1 million to locate its first North American production site to Statesville, North Carolina. The new facility will create 226 new jobs in Iredell County.
“After looking at possible sites all over America we are delighted to have settled on North Carolina as the hub for our U.S. business activities,” said Peter Murphy, President of EPOC Enviro. “Statesville is perfectly situated in a beautiful corner of the country, and it is exactly the kind of community we were hoping to become an integral part of.”
EPOC Enviro is a subsidiary of OPEC Systems, an Australian firm with three decades of global environmental engineering experience. With award-winning SAFF, a Surface Active Foam Fractionation technology, EPOC provides a clean and sustainable remediation solution that removes harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, soil, and industrial systems. The company patented SAFF in 2016 as a natural process using air to permanently, and rapidly, remediate PFAS with zero harm to the environment. The new location in Statesville will provide 260,000 square feet of manufacturing space to serve and expand its U.S. market.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state’s efforts to support EPOC’s location to North Carolina. New positions include electricians, engineers, fitters, managers, technicians, and administrative personnel. Although salaries for the new positions will vary, the average annual salary for the new positions is $64,464, which exceeds the Iredell County average wage of $64,433. The project could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $14.5 million per year for the region.
“Global manufacturers like EPOC are attracted to places with a diverse and skilled workforce,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “North Carolina not only has the largest manufacturing workforce in the southeastern United States, but it also has a strategic economic development plan that prioritizes our workforce and training systems to help prepare our talent for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
EPOC’s project will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $712 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,265,250 spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.
Because EPOC chose a site in Iredell County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $421,750 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities across the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.