SAGE Electrochromics, which makes energy-efficient architectural glass, broke ground last month on a 300,000-sq.ft. manufacturing plant next to its headquarters in Faribault, Minnesota, US.
The USD 1…
SAGE Electrochromics, which makes energy-efficient architectural glass, broke ground last month on a 300,000-sq.ft. manufacturing plant next to its headquarters in Faribault, Minnesota, US. The USD 130 million construction project has been made possible thanks to government funding and tax breaks, including USD 103 million from the federal government and more than USD 1.45 million from state and local sources, along with investments from private sources of more than USD 125 million. The project, which was originally proposed as a 250,000-sq.ft. plant, was scheduled to break ground this past summer, but did not start up until October, when the company finalized a partnership with French glassmaker Saint-Gobain, which is investing USD 80 million in the Minnesota-based business. According to the company, when production begins in late 2012, the plant will be the world“s largest and most-advanced electrochromic glass manufacturing facility. SAGE will manufacture product lines for Saint-Gobain and will be able to produce up to 4 million sq.ft. of glass every year, and will create 200 construction jobs and 160 permanent full-time jobs.