COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Nearly three years after first announcing plans to re-inhabit a shuttered General Motors plant in Ohio, a Chinese automotive glass maker has completed work on its North American recycled glass manufacturing hub.
Fuyao Glass America Inc. Chairman Cho Tak Wong joined a host of dignitaries and about 700 guests at the facility’s grand opening Friday. He called it “the culmination of a monumental undertaking.”
“We are proud of our work in Ohio, in the heart of the U.S. auto corridor, and are highly committed to supporting the growth of the North American automotive market,” he said.
Fuyao has spent roughly $450 million to convert the former GM factory in Moraine, near Dayton, which was closed in 2008 after nearly 30 years, and an adjacent facility. It represents China’s biggest investment in the state and its eighth largest in the U.S.
The plant has the capacity to produce about 4 million units of glass a year for the North American market, including GM, Honda, BMW, Hyundai and Volkswagen. It employs more than 2,000 people. Continuing expansion is expected to add 300 to 500 more jobs by the end of next year.