The company operates the Fuyao glass plant in Moraine, with a second Moraine facility, which Lei called state-of-the-art, located just north of their main site.
The new facility is adding roughly 600,000 square feet of production space to the company’s Moraine operations.
Fuyao came to the Dayton area in 2014. Montgomery County commissioners commented that the business coming to Montgomery County gave new life to the former General Motors plant, which closed in 2008. The closure of that plant caused the loss of thousands of jobs.
“It was just a nightmare,” said Montgomery County Commission President Judy Dodge. “But the opening (of Fuyao) in 2014 was like yesterday. I can’t believe it.”
The Montgomery County commission in recent years approved a $750,000 grant through the Montgomery County Economic Development/Government Equity program. Before then, Moraine council approved a $750K grant for a new facility immediately north of Fuyao’s existing plant.
“The project is significant to Moraine and Fuyao because it continues an ongoing investment that began ten years ago with collaborative assistance from several economic partners including JobsOhio, (Dayton Development Coalition), and Montgomery County,” Moraine City Manager Michael Davis told this news outlet on Wednesday. “The impact from such a major investment is a positive for the region and the local supply chain.”
Davis said Fuyao is making positive progress toward the launch of its additional space.
“From a jobs perspective, it is our understanding that hiring is underway to be able to train any new team members for the expanded area,” he said.
Lei said the glass company has already invested $1 billion in Montgomery County, and the company’s American presence is designed to attract and serve the American market.
“Ohio is in the center of everything for what we do in the U.S.,” Lei said. “And everything we do here, stays here in the U.S.”
Fuyao Glass America produces 30% of all automotive glass in the U.S., Lei said.
The company also has locations in Michigan and South Carolina, and it will be expanding its Illinois operations.
The federal government is pursuing a civil forfeiture complaint against assets tied to an investigation of an alleged $126 million staffing and money laundering operation allegedly linked to some Fuyao workers.
Federal agents last summer searched Fuyao’s main plant and other local locations. No charges have been filed, and Fuyao has not been named a target of the investigation.
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