Viracon Inc. announced it will make an investment of more than $30 million at its Owatonna, Minn., for a new coater. According to the announcement, Viracon is adding the new line at the Owatonna facility because it contains the company’s most extensive product capabilities and deepest bench of technical talent, and it is centrally located for serving its primary North American market. Support from the city, county and state was also a pivotal factor in the location decision.
“Viracon is the only North American architectural glass fabricator focused on commercial buildings with its own coating capabilities,” says Kelly Schuller, Viracon president. “Our coatings are a key underpinning of our competitive differentiation, and the new coater will have many new capabilities and features that will ensure Viracon remains at the forefront of architectural coating technology.
“On behalf of our employees, I would like to thank the City of Owatonna, Steele County and the State of Minnesota for their help in making this investment in our largest location possible,” adds Schuller.
“Preserving the competitiveness of a key manufacturer, such as Viracon, whose high performance architectural glass products are sold all over the globe, is a priority for the State of Minnesota,” says Katie Clark Sieben, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner. “We congratulate Viracon on their most recent expansion and thank them for making this key investment in Minnesota.”
“Our state, city and county board leaders worked hard to be creative to ensure that the project was won in Owatonna,” says Owatonna mayor Tom Kuntz. “Viracon is a great employer and very valuable to the community.”
According to Schuller, the project is expected to get under way in April 2013, with the site work required to make way for a building addition to house the new coater. It is anticipated that the new coater will begin delivering product for commercial buildings by late summer 2014.
