Advanced Manufacturing:
Virginia's Next Generation
of Factories

While biotech companies grab headlines, the largest industrial expansions in the Old Dominion are still occurring in traditional manufacturing sectors. Just don't call the new factories they're constructing "traditional."
        Virginia's next-generation factories are more computerized, more cost-efficient and more flexible than ever. The following is an overview of some of the largest manufacturing projects of 2002:
        • The $58-million, 246,000-sq.-ft. (22,853-sq.-m.) Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and Carrier Integration Center in Newport News will be one of the world's most advanced facilities for designing and engineering the complex naval weapons systems on some of the world's largest ships. The location of VASCIC in downtown Newport News next to Northrup Grumman Newport News, which leases and will eventually purchase the facility, is considered a vital component of the area's economy. VASCIC will ultimately bring 500 to 700 new engineers and scientists to the local community. NGNN, along with its subcontractors, is engaged in work that will lead to the creation of a new generation of aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
        • Philip Morris is completing a $350-million expansion of its 1.6 million-sq.-ft. (148,640-sq.-m.) Richmond Manufacturing Center. The project will triple production capacity and add 60,000 sq. ft. (5,574 sq. m.) to the company's Commerce Road facility. The addition will enable the company to manufacture products three times faster without adding any new employees. The expansion is the result of Philip Morris shutting down its Louisville, Ky., cigarette plant last year and distributing output to the company's facilities in Richmond and Cabarrus County, N.C.

An investment of $15 million from parent Unilever means 65 new jobs at the Lipton Tea manufacturing plant in Suffolk, managed by Scott Simmons (right).

        • Unilever announced earlier this year that it would invest $15 million and create 65 new jobs at its Lipton Tea manufacturing plant in Suffolk. "This is an important achievement for the Suffolk plant, its employees and for the community," says Scott Simmons, Unilever's Suffolk Plant manager. "It will now be up to us to ensure we maintain our focus on delivering improved performance on safety, quality, customer service, productivity and cost throughout this transition period." The Suffolk plant employs 332 workers making Lipton Tea products. Unilever expects the transfer of production to Su ffolk to be completed by the end of 2002.
        • Frito-Lay announced March 26 that it would invest $30 million and create 100 new jobs at its food-processing plant in Lynchburg. The company selected the Virginia location over several other states that competed for the project. "The City of Lynchburg has provided us with great opportunities to maintain our successful operation, and we continue to grow," says Barbara Buchanan, regional vice president of Frito-Lay.
        • Essel Propack Ltd., the world's largest manufacturer of laminated and plastic tubing, selected Danville as the site of its first U.S. manufacturing plant. The south-central Virginia city of 50,000 residents beat out a location in Guilford County, N.C. The $15-million Danville plant, which will initially employ 81 workers, will manufacture and supply toothpaste tubes for Procter & Gamble's plant in Greensboro, N.C. "We selected Danville for many reasons," says Essel Propack America Manager Manuel Diez. "The area offers adequate industrial infrastructure, a skilled work force, a quality education system to train our employees, excellent transportation access and significant cost benefits."
        • Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. announced Aug. 6 that it plans to build a Nylon-MXD6 production facility in the Ruffin Mill Industrial Park in Chesterfield County in the Richmond area. The plant will involve an investment of $14 million and could employ up to 300 people. The company is expected to break ground later this year, with production beginning in early 2004. The firm selected Chesterfield for several reasons, says Sam Suzuki, marketing manager in the company's New York office. "First and foremost, we wanted to provide better service and a more reliable supply to our customers in North America," he says. "In addition, all of the environments in the Chesterfield County area are well-suited to producing high-quality nylon. It's a state-of-the-art facility placed in an ideal location."
        • BAE Systems North America – a global systems, defense and aerospace company – announced in January that it will expand its operations in Fairfax County by investing $51.6 million and creating 1,000 new jobs. BAE will open a new 135,000-sq.-ft. (12,542-sq.-m.) complex on Sunset Hills Road in Reston.
        The building, set for occupancy this fall, will house several units of BAE, including the company's Integrated Systems division. "BAE Systems is pleased to establish this new business in Fairfax County," says Mark Ronald, president and CEO of BAE. "We received excellent support from the county, and the Reston site is the ideal location to attract the talent we need to staff this business as well as be close to our customer base."
        • Visteon Corp., a leading supplier of integrated automotive systems, announced Aug. 13 that it will open a new $17-million manufacturing plant in Chesapeake. The Hampton Roads facility, which will employ 42 people, will manufacture advanced plastic fuel tank systems to support Ford Motor Company's truck assembly plant in nearby Norfolk. "Visteon's investment in localized manufacturing demonstrates our commitment to our customer while enabling us to contribute to the economic vitality of new communities," says Jim Orchard, Visteon president for North America and Asia. The 73,000-sq.-ft. (6,782-sq.-m.) Chesapeake facility will be fully operational by spring 2003.
        • Another coup for the Roanoke metro area occurred Jan. 28 when InfoSeal, a New Jersey-based printing and paper converting company, agreed to occupy 32,000 sq. ft. (2,973 sq. m.) and bring 45 jobs to the Roanoke Centre for Industry & Technology. InfoSeal, which produces business documents designed for efficient processing through laser printers, will invest $3 million in the facility.
        • VIMCO Inc., a subsidiary of Lutron Electronics, announced Feb. 14 that it will build a new manufacturing plant in the Northlake Industrial Park in Hanover County near Richmond. The firm will invest more than $6 million in the project, creating 105 new jobs and retaining 45 others. "Virginia is a great place to work and live," says VIMCO President Tony Lovette. "We couldn't be happier with our decision to stay and expand here."
        • Also in the Richmond area, the Specialty Materials division of Honeywell Corp. announced that it is expanding its production of its Spectra high-modulus polyethylene fiber (HMPE) at the company's Chesterfield County site. Dean Flatt, president and CEO of the Specialty Materials unit, says the expansion will occur in two phases. Phase one investment of $20 million will include the installation of a new gel-spinning line and additional drawing capacity at the company's technical center near the Walthall exit on I-95. Phase two will encompass the construction of a new HMPE plant.
        • Rubbermaid Commercial Products announced Feb. 21 that it will create 250 new jobs through a $45-million capital investment to expand its research and development functions in Winchester. Rubbermaid chose the location over competing sites in North Carolina and Mexico.
        "New products have been a cornerstone for Rubbermaid Commercial Products and major mechanism for growth," says RCP President W. Michael Moorefield. "The Winchester community provides a high-quality work force, a good technology base and an ideal location for distribution, and we are excited about this opportunity to expand our R&D efforts."
        • Cerxon Microtechnologies, a manufacturer of high-end microelectronics components, announced Feb. 19 that it will invest $6.5 million and hire 250 employees over the next 30 months at a new facility in Henry County. The company is relocating from Camden, S.C., and selected the Henry County site over competing locations in South Carolina.
        "Henry County knew they could offer us what we needed," says Michael Nixon, vice president of Cerxon, "a work force highly qualified for the technology industry, an infrastructure customized to our needs and, most importantly, a shared long-term vision for our growth and the growth of the community."