French electrical insulator maker Sediver was nearing completion of a manufacturing plant in West Memphis, Arkansas, in late September 2016, bringing its production back to the USA for the first time in 15 years.
Back to USA production
Sediver had sold insulators to U.S. utilities for about 60 years, but it stopped making them in the USA when it left Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2001, The Commercial Appeal reported on Sept. 30, 2016. Since then, it had supplied its more than 100 U.S. customers with insulators made in China or Europe.
Chief executive Rene Tabouret said the company decided to return production to the USA because demand was growing and it expected overseas manufacturing to become more expensive.
The plant
- 130,000 square feet, to be finished by the end of 2016
- 70-plus workers, with training in early 2017 and production planned for March
- capacity of up to 2.3 million glass insulators a year for electric power lines
Houston-based Clean Line Energy encouraged the choice of Arkansas. It named Sediver the preferred supplier of glass insulators for its planned Plains & Eastern Clean Line, a 720-mile line to carry wind power from the Oklahoma Panhandle to the Memphis area. That project alone could use up to 650,000 insulators.
Tabouret said the plant would sell insulators whether or not the transmission line was built. Sediver opened the $15 million facility in April 2017, with plans for up to 75 employees, Talk Business & Politics reported.
FAQ
What does the plant make?
Toughened glass insulators for high-voltage electric power lines.
When did Sediver last make insulators in the USA?
In 2001, when it left Charlotte, North Carolina.
How many jobs were planned?
More than 70 at first, and up to 75 when the plant opened in 2017.
Source & credit
Source: The Commercial Appeal: “French firm puts electrical parts plant in West Memphis”, Sept. 30, 2016.
Also: Talk Business & Politics: “Sediver opens plant in West Memphis”, April 2017.