CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 21, 2007) — DuPont Co. has chosen its Cooper River plant in South Carolina for a previously announced $500 million plan to "significantly expand" production of its Kevlar para-aramid brand fiber for industrial and military uses.
The investment, which will include construction of a Kevlar fiber facility that is scheduled to start up in 2010, is expected to create 100 jobs, as well as more than 400 contractor jobs during peak construction.
DuPont announced in September that it will invest $500 million, in a bid to increase its capacity for Kevlar by more than 25 percent. The company is also investing $50 million at its Spruance plant in Richmond, Va.
The combined expansion will represent the largest single investment in Kevlar and the largest capacity increase since the fiber was introduced in 1965.