PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) announced that it is investing $20 million to upgrade its fiber glass manufacturing facility in Chester, South Carolina. The facility, which employs 150 people, manufactures direct-draw fiber glass products used in filament winding, pultrusion, long-fiber thermoplastics and wind energy applications.
The investment will cover repairs to the production furnace, the finished goods packing operation and much of the facility’s support infrastructure. The project is expected to be completed later this year.
“This investment in our Chester facility will enable PPG to offer our customers access to the best fiber glass manufacturing technology available today,” said Ken Hale, PPG plant manager. “With these new state-of-the-art resources, we can produce the highest-quality fiber glass materials while improving the energy efficiency of the furnace. We remain committed to being the supplier of choice to fill our customers’ fiber glass needs.”
PPG’s fiber glass business manufactures reinforcement materials for thermoset and thermoplastic composite applications. It serves the transportation, energy, infrastructure and consumer markets, as well as electronic circuit board and specialty yarn markets.