Corning Fiber Optic Plant in Concord to Reopen

CORNING, N.Y. — Corning will reopen part of an optical fiber manufacturing facility in Concord, N.C., that it shut down in 2002, the company said Wednesday.

Operations will resume in between six and nine months and will be determined by market demand, Corning added. The plant was mothballed.

Corning also operates a plant in Wilmington.

How many people will be hired as the Concord plant is brought back on line was not disclosed.

“The optical fiber market has witnessed volume growth of greater than 15 percent in each of the last two years,” said Eric Musser, vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Fiber. “Over 80 percent of worldwide fiber demand now comes from the access and metro segments, and we expect to see continued market growth. The partial start-up of our Concord facility will ensure that we have adequate capacity to capture this expanding market opportunity.”

Increased production of semiconductor materials at the Wilmington facility also played a role in the decision to reopen the Concord plant. Some fiber production capacity in Wilmington had been displaced by the need for semiconductor-related production, the company said.