BMW/SGL completed!
The SGL Automotive plant is completed and is preparing to manufacture carbon fiber for partner BMW to use in future electric cars. It was built east of the Grant County International Airport.
MOSES LAKE - The construction of BMW/SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers' Moses Lake plant on Randolph Road is done.
The joint venture company announced completion on Monday.
The company is on track to start testing equipment to make carbon fiber for the electric BMW i3 car set to be launched in 2013, according to a company statement.
"The new carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake is a fundamental component of the joint venture's strategy to commercialize the manufacture of lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastics for use in the automotive industry," stated Andreas Wuellner, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers' managing director.
Joerg Pohlman, another SGL managing director, commented the plant is an industry benchmark and is the "most cost-efficient of its kind worldwide."
The Moses Lake plant is on land annexed into the City of Moses Lake in December, which also included six other development groups, according to a Dec. 24 Columbia Basin Herald article.
BMW/SGL requested the annexation and receives fire, police, water and sewage services.
SGL's nine-month completion is a "pretty good indication of how serious this project is," said Jon Smith, Grant County Economic Developement Council's (EDC) managing director.
"Nine months is no small feat to put together a plant like this," he commented.
Moses Lake should continue to see good things happening from the growth, Smith commented.
He said he was pleased to learn the company has additional space because of an option on more land.
"It's an indication they're still thinking about growth in the area," he said.
A second line means additional jobs, he said.
When the EDC first started working with BMW/SGL, the project appeared to be done in a five to six-year phase.
"Things depend on the economy, but everything now appears to be on track for continued growth," Smith says.
A total of 200 new employees was projected for all phases of the project, he recalled.
Smith read other articles about carbon fiber and learned there are many car manufacturers that are eying closely what is happening in Moses Lake.
Carbon fiber has a lot more automobile applications than previously thought, he said.
With any luck, Moses Lake is put on the map for carbon fiber, like the Columbia Basin is for its data centers.
"Maybe we have the right mix as well for carbon fiber production as that industry continues to grow," he added.
BMW/SGL brings about $6.7 million in new earnings and wages to Grant County, according to the EDC's website.