SGL manager details construction plans

MOSES LAKE - Construction on SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers' 154,250 square-foot Moses Lake plant is "moving along well as scheduled," plant manager Steve Swanson said Thursday.

Two buildings are planned and work continues through the winter months, he explained.

The area is "just a construction site" at this point, Swanson commented.

He also answered questions about an Associated Press article detailing Gov. Chris Gregoire's trip to Germany, her meeting with company officials and her resulting comments about the plant doubling in size sooner than expected.

He said the governor had obviously just returned from Germany.

"She was there and heard what she heard," he commented. "However they spun it, is how they spun it. There are a lot of milestones that have to be met to get to that point, I'm sure."

When completed, the plant will manufacture parts for BMW's future Megacity vehicle.

SGL is a joint venture between BMW and SGL Group.

In Moses Lake, the process building measures 111,000 square feet and the office warehouse comes to 43,250 square feet.

The underground and concrete work is in the last phase of completion for both buildings, he said.

The steel erection is underway on the process building.

The process building is dried in by Jan. 7, followed by the office/warehouse building during the end of January.

It's expected process deliveries also start in January to the $100 million plant.

Construction jobs range from 70 positions to a peak of 150 workers in January, he said.

It's expected there will be 42 plant jobs to support production line one of the project.

Wages for entry-level positions were still being negotiated.

"We expect to start training a portion of those employees in the January/February time frame," Swanson explained.

"Commissioning starts in April, so we're going to starting doing some training with a small portion in the January/February time frame," he said.

The company expects to start advertising for some of the production jobs in December.

He was unsure about details concerning another phase, as  he didn't yet have a timeline.

The Spokane-based company, Lydig, is the general contractor for the project.