China-based global fiberglass manufacturer Jushi Group Co. Ltd. has hit a milestone in its long-planned expansion in the United States.
The company is establishing its first U.S. manufacturing operations with an 80,000-ton production line in Columbia, S.C., announced a May 31 release from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
The first phase of the project is expected to bring $300 million in capital investment and create 400 jobs.
The company said it expects to begin construction on the new facility in the fourth quarter of 2016 and complete the installation within two years.
“The Jushi USA project is a big move for the strategic development of China Jushi,” Jushi CEO Zhang Yuqiang said, “With the dynamic development of the American composite global market, plus the great support from South Carolina state government and Richland County, we believe that this USA project will achieve great success. Also, we always welcome talented people to join Jushi USA and witness the growth of Jushi in the American fiberglass industry.”
Jushi started looking into a U.S. plant in 2012. At a 2014 news conference at its headquarters in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province, Plastics News reported the presence of representatives from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
Jushi USA CEO William Woo, based in Irwindale, Calif., told Plastics News late last year that the project had a slight delay due to “external reasons” but indicated the company would move forward soon.
In addition to its production bases in China, Jushi also operates a manufacturing facility in Egypt. It is also conducting feasibility studies about future plants in Asia and Eastern Europe.