Florence County, South Carolina – PRET Advanced Materials LLC is going to spend $18.5 million to increase its business in Florence County. This will help the company in Johnsonville and satisfy the needs of more customers. State officials claim the initiative would create 74 new employment, which will give the local manufacturing economy a boost.
The advanced materials company wants to improve and extend its current facility by adding new equipment and making specific changes to help make new goods. By 2027, those modifications should have the expanded operations completely up and running. This will be the next step in the company’s lengthy history in South Carolina.
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PRET Advanced Materials, which is based in Johnsonville, is a significant compounder and supplier of thermoplastic resins to customers all over North America. The company’s Florence County facility has been running nonstop since 1955, making it one of the oldest industrial sites in the area. Company officials say the most recent investment shows that there is still demand in the industry and that they trust the local workers.
In a statement, company executives said that the expansion builds on decades of working with Florence County and the state. It also makes the Johnsonville location ready to meet more production needs. The new equipment is meant to make things run more smoothly and help the company keep up with its changing product line.
“PRET Advanced Materials is proud to announce the expansion of its capabilities at our Johnsonville facility,” CEO Alex Zhou said in the release. “This continued strong growth reflects PRET’s confidence in both our people and our long-standing relationship with Florence County and the state of South Carolina.”
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Local leaders were happy to hear the news and spoke about how it would help the economy in southern Florence County. County leaders said that the project will not only create dozens of new jobs, but it will also strengthen Johnsonville’s position as a center for sophisticated manufacturing and research. They commended the company’s ongoing dedication to its workers and the neighborhood it has lived in for centuries.
The state is also helping the expansion by building new infrastructure. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development of the South Carolina Department of Commerce authorized a $50,000 Set-Aside grant to Florence County to assist pay for the project’s road improvements.
State commerce officials said that the investment was another example of a legacy manufacturer that continues to expand and changing. They said that PRET’s long history in South Carolina shows that the state can keep and grow established industrial firms.
Individuals interested in employment opportunities created by the expansion have been encouraged to reach out directly to the company for more information as the project moves forward.
