China-based Dicastal to open a facility in Greenville

The biggest aluminium wheel manufacturers in the world, the China-based Dicastal North America Inc, has come to an agreement with the city of Greenville to open a facility in the abandoned buildings of United Solar Ovanics (USO) creating around 300 jobs in the area.

Over 35 US states had been competing for this project and now Greenville along with Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Right Place are welcoming the company as per the announcement made on Wednesday.

This facility will be the first Dicastal facility outside China where already 17 units exists. The MEDC, Right Place and the city have come up with the winning incentive package that has persuaded the company to make the $140-million investment for the Greenville project.

The director of business development of Dicastal, Dale Hadel revealed that there were some very competitive incentives from other state and the competition was close. Greenville is offering $8.5 million of which, 3.5 million are grants from MEDC Business Development Program and $5 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), besides the tax abatements.

The incentives however, will not be given to the company unless certain project milestones are achieved to ensure that the company stays true and committed to the goal of bringing jobs and business to the city.

The company is taking over the USO facilities that stretch across 98-acres of facility and 100,000 square feet in terms of manufacturing space which was left abandoned since the company went bankrupt in 2012. The refurbished facilities are supposed to be fully operational by 2016 Q1. The opening of the new facility will ease the pain of the city a little that is still battling the thousands of job losses due to closure of the Electrolux in 2006 and the USO bankruptcy in 2012.