Pilkington North America, Inc. (PNA), a major glass manufacturing company, will invest $86.8 million in its operations in Scotland County, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today. 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.
“Global manufacturers like PNA choose North Carolina time and time again,” said Gov. Cooper. “This decision proves that our state’s investments in workforce development and infrastructure continue to pay off, bringing us new jobs and investments.”
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, 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’s equipment and infrastructure, which will improve safety, capacity, and production speed.
“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.”
“North Carolina’s track record for attracting foreign investment means our state is one of the best places to do business in the world,” said Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “To keep our winning edge in the global market, I will continue to build relationships with international partners and make sure our state continues to support the things that make a difference, like training our workforce for the opportunities that lie ahead.”
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.
“I’m pleased to see one of our communities’ strongest employers choose to expand in our region.,” said N.C. Rep. Garland Pierce. “Global manufacturers like NSG Group show everyone that Scotland County is a great place to do business.”
Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Scotland County, and the Scotland County Economic Development Corporation.
Contributed.
