World Trade - November 2008 - (Page 51)

plans to expand its manufacturing operations and development facilities near Toledo. The investment will add approximately 500,000 square feet of manufacturing, research and development, and ofﬁce space, and will add at least 134 new jobs to the company’s current workforce of 700 at its Perrysburg facility. First Solar is collaborating with state and local leaders on a comprehensive incentive package for these two projects. These incentives are central to First Solar’s expansion plans in Ohio and are subject to approval by state and local authorities. The expansion is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010 and will increase the annual capacity at the Perrysburg facility to approximately 192 megawatts. In addition, First Solar will construct a separate facility to support increased development activities associated with its advanced thin film solar module manufacturing technology. “Scaling our manufacturing capacity while taking advantage of existing infrastructure will incrementally lower the manufacturing cost per watt at a rate comparable to our lowest cost facility in Malaysia,” said Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar. “The expansion of our operations in Ohio is a direct result of the outstanding achievements of our associates and a strong, ongoing partnership with state and local leaders.” “The state of Ohio is proud to support industry leaders like First Solar who are using renewable energy to power the future,” said Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. “In making this signiﬁcant investment and expansion in Toledo, First Solar is helping us to send a message to the world that Ohio is reinventing itself as the leader in the advanced energy industry.” State regulations require that at least 25 percent of the electricity sold in Ohio to be generated from new and advanced technologies by 2025. According to Gov. Strickland, “Already, Ohio has more alternative energy-related projects under way than any other state. The state’s extensive manufacturing supply chain provides thousands of products to the alternative energy industry. And, Ohio is home to the largest fuel cell supply chain in the country. Our welders, machinists, electricians, and iron and steel workers are retooling and transferring their skills to retroﬁtting buildings, building mass transit, installing wind and solar power, and manufacturing energy-efﬁcient cars and trucks.” “Ohio now leads the Midwest in the growth of venture capital investments in the biosciences; we rank ﬁrst nationally in per capita clinical trials and operate the largest center for stem cell and regenerative medicine between the coasts. In the U.S. News & World Report rankings, Ohio leads the nation with four of the country’s top 15 children’s hospitals. The Cleveland Clinic, meanwhile, has spun off two dozen start-up companies in the past decade, and averages 200 inventions each year.” WT For reprints of this article, please contact Cindy Williams at williamsc@bnpmedia.com or 610-436-4220 ext. 8516. WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 51 WTM09084Mult.indd 1 8/12/08 11:14:41 AM http://www.multisorb.com http://www.multisorb.com http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - November 2008

World Trade - November 2008 Contents Unexpected Responses to Unanticipated Change Reading the States of Risk in Today’s Global Economy Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds Failed Promise: Mexico and NAFTA, 15 Years Later The Short Tale Marrying Trade Finance and Transportation into a Single Transaction Trucking Gets a Double Whammy Are We Safe Yet? Logistics Resurrects the Rust Belt Keep on Compressing

World Trade - November 2008

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