[new_royalslider id=”29″]Business and government officials Tuesday marked the opening of the Grayling Industries plant in Seaford. The plant will bring 115 jobs to Seaford as production is shifted from Juarez, Mexico.
Parent company ILC Dover is in the process of hiring staff for Grayling Industries, which commenced operations at a 90,000-square-foot facility. Grayling will manufacture internationally safety products for contamination control on asbestos abatement projects and industrial packaging products for shipping and storage of bulk liquids and dry products.
“These new jobs, at this new plant, usher in a new day for the city of Seaford and all of Sussex County,” Gov. Jack Markell said. “ILC Dover must be applauded for bringing these jobs here from Mexico and not only doing right by Delaware, but also helping our country continue to pull business back home.”
ILC Dover, based in Frederica, makes spacesuits for NASA, the airbag system for the Mars Rover and personal protection equipment for military, homeland security and industrial users. ILC Dover bought Grayling in December 2012 to complement its flexible containment products for the pharmaceutical industry.
Two lines are currently in operation at the plant. The Dry Bottleneck Line produces dry powder liners. Cell # 1 manufactures dry powder liners and D-Con disposable shower enclosures, a low-cost, sturdy and disposable decontamination shower solution for abatement projects. While Grayling’s manufacturing will take place in Delaware, the subsidiary’s offices will remain in Alpharetta, Ga.
Fifty employees are working the first production line from Juarez in a 60,000-square-foot production facility. An adjacent 30,000-square-foot finished goods warehouse is still under construction. “This plant sets the bar very high for cleanliness and efficiency,” said Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. “Positioning a high-quality operation like Grayling Industries at the southern end of our state provides more employment diversification to Sussex County.”
As part of the agreement to move Grayling’s manufacturing operations to Delaware, ILC Dover received a Strategic Fund Performance Grant of $364,500 for the creation of 115 new full-time positions in the state. The company was also approved for a Strategic Fund Capital Expenditures Grant in the amount of $187,860, or a 3 percent match.
