3M adding solar product, expanding plant

The Columbia 3M plant manager confirmed Friday that the company is planning to expand its manufacturing facility here to produce a film used in the production of flexible solar panels.
Bill Moore, Columbia’s 3M plant manager, said six employees are working on the project to begin manufacturing the new product, Ultra Barrier Solar Film. Moore said details on the plant’s expansion are still being hashed out, but construction on more plant capacity could begin by the first quarter of 2011. The Columbia factory, located on Paris Road, will be the only facility making the product, he said, and 100 to 120 jobs could be added over the next 12 to 18 months.
As the solar power market continues to grow, the announcement could be a big win for Columbia. The Ultra Barrier product is a flexible film that can be substituted for the traditional glass used to protect thin-film solar panels. It can be produced at volumes and rates that significantly lowers costs. The flexibility of the film also means it can be utilized in places where flat solar panels couldn’t – curved roofs and cars, for example. It’s also much lighter than glass, which means it’s easier to install the completed panel.
Moore said the product “will transform the solar industry.”
“There was obviously a lot of competition and other places 3M could have gone with this,” Moore said.
A number of factors went into the company’s decision to bring the product line here. For one, the Columbia plant is known for its high-tech manufacturing capabilities and high-skilled staff, Moore said. The building is also a very clean manufacturer, he said.
“As the management team here in Columbia, we really thought it would match well here and we worked really hard to get it,” Moore said of the product line.
In addition, a number of tax incentives were put on the table for the company. Moore said there’s five or six different tax incentives aimed at the kind of work the plant would be doing, including renewable energy tax incentives made available to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources by the 2009 stimulus package.
Mike Brooks, president of Regional Economic Development, Inc., said the organization participated in identifying potential tax credits for the company. Most would be offered through the state of Missouri, but the Columbia Area Jobs Foundation, a non-profit that aids in local economic development, is participating in the project. One of the tax credits requires a donation to a local non-profit. 3M will donate$1 million to the Jobs Foundation, which will buy equipment from the company. It will then lease it to the company for five years. It can then sell it back to 3M at “a nominal fee,” Brooks said.
The solar film could be only the first round of good news for the area. Moore said the plant’s management is working towards bringing three to four other products to Columbia, mostly advanced technology manufacturing for the health care and solar industries.
“The advanced technology capabilities we have in Columbia are really significant, and we’re really leveraging that to bring jobs and business to the Mid-Missouri area,” Moore said.