24 Feb 2015 International Company Solvay Specialty Polymers Building New $85 Million Facility in Augusta
The Augusta Economic Development Authority announced today that Solvay Specialty Polymers will build their new high-performance polymer manufacturing facility in Augusta, adjacent to their current facility. The company will invest $85,000,000 and will create 35 new jobs.
We won the Solvay expansion for Augusta!
We competed with several countries worldwide, but it came down to workforce, and Solvay loved the Augusta workforce.
Like we say often, “When it comes to workforce, companies come to Augusta.”
Headquartered in Belgium, Solvay acquired the current facility in Augusta from BP Amoco in 2001. The Augusta facility currently employs 200 people, with approximately 50 contractors at the site.
Solvay’s Augusta facility will be the first in the United States to manufacture the high-strength, fire- resistant and chemical-resistant polymer known as polyether etherketone, or PEEK. Only factories in Europe and China current make the product, according to the company, and the product solidifies Solvay as a leader in the industry.
The project was one year in the making, with the company working with the Augusta Economic Development Authority, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Augusta Technical College, and Augusta-Richmond County government. Hiring will begin this fall, and the project should be completed in the second quarter of 2016.
Henry Ingram, Chairman of the Augusta Economic Development, said, “Solvay has been a mainstay in the Augusta Economy for years, and today’s announcement of their new $85 million investment shows that our economy continues to grow at record pace. We were pleased to partner with Solvay and our other allies in making this happen for Augusta.” Solvay employs more than 29,000 people in 56 countries worldwide.
Source: Augusta Economic Development Authority Press Release
Author: Walter Sprouse, Jr., Executive Director