Jupiter Aluminum, an Illinois-based company that melts aluminium scrap and produce aluminium coils for building and construction industry is expanding its plant Jupiter Coil Coat Beech Bottom West Virginia. Jupiter Aluminum operates its lines in the former Wheeling Corrugating Plant along W.Va. 2. The Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle acquired the site in 2012 when the plant closed down. Jupiter Aluminum opened its remelting plant in the same location in 2014 with six employees.
On Monday, the company announced during a dinner that it would expand its operations in Beech Bottom Industrial Park. The aluminium remelter and coil producer will invest further to renovate 140,000 square feet site there.
"It's a small community, but it's a manufacturing community. It's been a manufacturing community for a long time. The ability to work in shifts, to work in plants - the people here knows it,” said Paul-Henri Chevalier, president of Jupiter Aluminum.
The investment will be benefitting the village residents, who were affected by the closure of the Wheeling Steel Corrugating Plant a few years ago. Currently, two third of the plant is occupied by value-added steel companies. The rest of the plant is being used by Jupiter for its coil operations.
"Their investment in our town is only going to lead to bigger and better things. There's a lot of work that's going to be done on the mill now, so that'll allow even further economic development in this area,” said Beech Bottom Mayor Becky Uhlly.
The Business Development Corporation has received an EDA grant for $2.6 million for expansion in that area. They will use the grant money to renovate the inside and outside of the building, in order to attract new businesses.Since, Jupiter will renovate the one third of the building, BDC will allow new value-added metals and energy companies to utilize that portion for their operations.
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