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United Solar Ovonics new Greenville facility


GRDadof3

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http://fox17.trb.com/news/032106-wxmi-gree...oll=wxmi-news-1

This is phenomenal! This company specializes in solar cells and alternative fuel cells.

Very interesting that this company's HQ's in Auburn Hills was on Bush's renewable energy tour a few weeks ago.

http://www.ovonic.com/news_events/presiden...otos_022006.htm

I'm not saying anything else :whistling:

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Don't forget, their parent company, Energy Conversion Devices, is involved in hybrid cars as well.

That's right. They're heavily involved in NiMH batteries similar to what Johnson Controls is doing in Milwaukee (the other Bush stop).

http://www.ovonic.com/res/2_5_nickel_batte...l_batteries.htm

Great find on the article lead BigPlayJ :thumbsup:

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;)

Here's the WZZM article from last night:

http://www.wzzm.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51892

Today is the "tomorrow" referenced by George Bosanic. :) I wonder if he's under a "confidentiality agreement"...

J/K, I bet it will be an exciting announcement regarding what technology will be produced at this facility.

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Actually, (being that I live in Greenville and can talk)...this is one of many new manufacturing plants that are going to be built in the new industrial park east of town. Our local paper has been reporting since the last year that these plants will be new high tech manufacturing jobs, and they have 20 companies that are in talks with building here...of course Basonic can't talk about them because he doesn't want them to be scared off...somewhat much like the mystery 30 acre development in GR.

So, this is just the beginning for the new Greenville. I'm excited.

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Here's United Solar Ovonic's press release from back in February regarding a new plant expansion (before Greenville was announced). Gives a little more detail as to what they are ramping up for:

post-2672-1143034947_thumb.jpg

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They also have a press release from last year regarding a contract to supply 3000 solar powered homes at a military base in Hawaii:

http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=62

They also supplied cells for the MAREC facility in Muskegon:

http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=82

post-2672-1143034947_thumb.jpg

post-2672-1143034977_thumb.jpg

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Great news for Greenville.

Solar cells and fuel cells... Does this company dabble any in other alternative fuels? I have a flex-fuel vehicle and have been dying to get an E85 station into Grand Rapids. There is one in Greenville right now, but driving 40 miles to fuel up isn't economical right now.

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I hear there may be as many as three 300,000 square foot facilities involved in this development, with more tenant announcements coming soon.

I wonder if that's what the Greenville City Manager was talking about? There wasn't really anything else announced today by Granholm.

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The Press is saying the first plant will cost $129 MILLION :blink: and employ 200 people by 2007, and it could grow to five plants employing over 1000 people. :w00t:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ss...ll=6&thispage=1

The $129 million isn't that much I don't think.... I know about what the Haworth renovation is costing.. and it's not cheap.. you figure this has to have manufacturing, some warehousing, some local office support staff.. and THEN the machinery to make this sort of product.. which I would bet is where a lot of the $129 million comes from.. complex automated manufacturing systems are NOT cheap by any means..

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The $129 million isn't that much I don't think.... I know about what the Haworth renovation is costing.. and it's not cheap.. you figure this has to have manufacturing, some warehousing, some local office support staff.. and THEN the machinery to make this sort of product.. which I would bet is where a lot of the $129 million comes from.. complex automated manufacturing systems are NOT cheap by any means..

Not to politicize this, but it is a little sad that communites have to undercut each other so so badly, just to be able to keep a company domestic, and competitive.

Greenville beat out a couple other locations, including spots in south carolina. The city manager said greenville beat them by about a million dollars.

Ren. zone

Property tax break

SBT break

Community development block grant for training.

It is great for the area, and having 600 people earning wages will certainly help the businesses in the area, but its too bad that greenville wont see property tax from it for a long long time.

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I hear there may be as many as three 300,000 square foot facilities involved in this development, with more tenant announcements coming soon.

I wonder if that's what the Greenville City Manager was talking about? There wasn't really anything else announced today by Granholm.

My understanding from the film at 11 is that the company plans on a total of three facilities and that the first is going to Greenville. The next two haven't been decided yet. Their plant In Auburn Hills is also being expanded.

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I love that "Green" - ville could be known as Solar City USA. The company is HQ'd in Auburn Hills.

Their company profile would look poetic with Auburn Hills and Greenville as names for outsiders to read and dream about lovely places that are using solar power.

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  • 5 months later...

United Solar Ovonic to build second facility

GREENVILLE -- United Solar Ovonic is launching its second $120 million plant here to boost its capacity for high-tech solar energy film and roofing materials.

"We are ramping up just incredibly fast," United Solar Ovonic President Subhendu Guha said Friday.

Some good news for beleagured Montcalm County. That brings the total so far to 2 plants, $240 Million in development, 120 megawatts of solar film annually, and about 400 high-tech manufacturing jobs, with room for 3 more plants.

The first plant is under construction now. Has anyone seen it yet?

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I live in Greenville...I'll try to find it lol and I'll snap some pics

And...if anyone isn't aware...there are 6 plants total being proposed to be built in Greenville by this company...

We're being told (still) that more announcements will follow on newer companies coming

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  • 4 months later...

Happened to be in Greenville, and snapped some shots of the huge new Uni-Solar facilities going up.

First I went by Frigidaire for old times' sake (used to work for a Frigidaire supplier). What a hulking mess.

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Then I found the Uni-Solar plants. Can't get much closer due to a security checkpoint. The first two plants are worth $240 Million, and will employ 400 technicians building solar cells.

384916187_7a13c8a62c_b.jpg

384916189_8465d1168e_b.jpg

All of the fields that you see in front of these two are part of the business park slated to potentially receive 3 or 4 more plants. Impressive!

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Hey you were pretty close to my house :lol:

I live on the other side of the river so I can get a great view of the massive urine-yellow plant. My digi cam broke so I haven't had the time to go take pictures of the plant (nor buy a new camera).

I actually haven't passed by the plants yet, but yeah that whole industrial park thing is pretty neat.

I can't wait for electrolux to be bulldozed

We have phase 3 of our trail in the works right in front of my house - damn loud trucks wake me up every morning...eventually they're going to build a tunnel underneath m-57 by Meijer instead of an overpass...impressive.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey you were pretty close to my house :lol:

I live on the other side of the river so I can get a great view of the massive urine-yellow plant. My digi cam broke so I haven't had the time to go take pictures of the plant (nor buy a new camera).

I actually haven't passed by the plants yet, but yeah that whole industrial park thing is pretty neat.

I can't wait for electrolux to be bulldozed

We have phase 3 of our trail in the works right in front of my house - damn loud trucks wake me up every morning...eventually they're going to build a tunnel underneath m-57 by Meijer instead of an overpass...impressive.

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  • 9 months later...

Well some kind of small explosion at one of these plants this week made a little scuttlebutt (no one was hurt), but today quite a bit of more good news about United Solar's expansion plans and continued land purchases:

GREENVILLE -- Expansion plans continue for United Solar Ovonic's growing campus here with a recent land acquisition and additional purchases in the works.

The city of Greenville sold 4 acres at 6410 S. Fitzner Road to the solar film manufacturer.

And that's just a start.

"We're in the process of taking out an option for an additional 100 acres ... and fully intend to populate that entire park property to optimize production capacity," said John Morgan, vice president of supply chain management and facilities for United Solar Ovonic.

...Morgan said the company's plans may exceed initial expectations, with the possibility that Greenville could see bigger plants than earlier expected, or more of them.

http://www.mlive.com/business/grpress/inde....xml&coll=6

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