January 2001

Corning plans second major expansion of fiber-optics plant

"The increased fiber capacity made possible through the expansion of Concord and the addition of a new facility enables us to keep pace with the tremendous worldwide demand for Corning's optical fiber," said Alan Eusden, senior vice president and general manager, Optical Fiber, Corning. "Our significant contract announcements with key network providers confirm the strong value placed on our fiber products."

The new expansion brings Corning's total North Carolina investment to more than $2.5 billion and its North Carolina employee count to more than 6,500. Corning will be eligible for tax credits under the William S. Lee Quality Jobs and Business Expansion Act, including credits for job creation, investment and worker training.

Mooresville ceramics plant expands
NGK Ceramics USA plans a $40 million, 50-employee expansion of its Mooresville production facility, Gov. Jim Hunt said on Dec. 12. The announcement comes on the heels of a $15 million expansion currently under construction and brings the company's total investment in Iredell County to $108 million. "Since NGK first opened its doors in 1988, the company has expanded five times demonstrating their commitment to North Carolina and the quality of the Iredell County area and its workforce," Hunt said. "NGK continues to bring good-paying jobs to our state and is one of our state's greatest ambassadors among Japanese businesses." NGK Insulators of Nagoya, Japan, is the parent company of NGK Ceramics USA and is the world's largest insulator maker. The Mooresville facility produces a unique honeycomb-type ceramic filter used in automotive catalytic exhaust systems. The company will be eligible for investment, job creation and worker training tax credits under the William S. Lee Quality Jobs and Business Expansion Act.

Sports apparel maker picks Northampton County site
FX GEAR, a division of MSFI, will open a new 50-employee sewing, embroidery and distribution operation in Rich Square to make sports apparel for Nike, Champion, Logo/Puma and other clients. The company is purchasing the Mylcraft building on U.S. Hwy 258 in Rich Square to house the operation. "Northampton County will certainly benefit from these new jobs and will hopefully see additional expansion as this company continues to grow," Gov. Jim Hunt said in a Dec. 7 announcement. Jim White, FX GEAR plant manager in Rich Square, said cut-and-sew operations have already been established. He said the company recently entered the second project phase, involving order processing and distribution. This phase also includes a 40,000-square-foot warehousing operation. The project's third phase is planned for next year and could include screen-printing and embroidery operations. If growth stays on pace, White expects to have more than 100 employees by the end of 2001. The company will receive $10,000 from the N.C. Industrial Recruitment Competitive Fund and will be eligible for job creation, machinery and equipment, and worker training tax credits under the William S. Lee Quality Jobs and Business Expansion Act.

German drug maker buys Wilson facility
Wilson's economy got a boost when Eon Pharma LLC, a subsidiary of Eon Labs Manufacturing Inc., purchased the former Novopharm facility from Teva Pharmaceuticals and said it will immediately begin operations at the 275,000-square-foot facility. Eon plans to hire about 60 people in its first year, and be fully operational in two to three years. Eon Labs Manufacturing Inc. is owner by Hexal AG, the No. 2 generic drug company in Germany. 

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