DuPont has selected its plant in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, to receive a $500 million investment. The investment will be used to expand production of high-performance Kevlar para-aramid brand fiber.
The investment at the Moncks Corner site, which is located about 30 miles north of Charleston in BerkeleyCounty, will include construction of a new Kevlar fiber facility. It is expected to require 100 permanent DuPont jobs, as well as more than 400 contractor jobs during peak construction. The plant’s start-up is scheduled for 2010.
Best known for its proven performance in ballistic and stab-resistant body armor, Kevlar has helped save the lives of thousands of law enforcement officers and military personnel around the world. Between 2000 and 2006, DuPont successfully completed four Kevlar fiber expansion projects at its Richmond, VA and Maydown, Northern Ireland facilities.
Several of these expansions incorporated a proprietary New Fiber Technology (NFT) developed and patented by DuPont. This new technology provides a higher performance fiber for use in critical applications serving the military and law enforcement sectors, as well as the automotive, aerospace, and oil and gas industries.
“DuPont has long been a significant member of the BerkeleyCounty community, and we’re very proud they’ve chosen us for this exciting new operation,” said Dan Davis, Berkeley County Supervisor. “I can’t say enough about what this company brings to our entire region. Not only do they provide excellent jobs for our citizens, they are also stellar corporate citizens. This is definitely a win-win announcement for us all.”