Viracon, which is headquartered in Owatonna, Minn., has announced a 60,000-square-foot expansion at its facility in Statesboro, Ga., creating 125 new jobs.

In addition to the increased square footage, new fabrication equipment was also added. The equipment expansion included three new fabrication lines-one each for coating, insulating and silk-screening. The Statesboro plant now has three insulating lines, two coating lines and two silk-screening lines, as well as the laminating, tempering and spandrel lines already in operation.

"This expansion provides a 25-percent increase in production capacity for Statesboro," said Mike Diedrich, vice president of operations. "With the additional coater, we can serve a complete Viracon coating mix directly from Statesboro … in addition we have increased our size capabilities to a maximum width of 86 inches and a maximum length of 165 inches for coated and insulating units."

"Another factor leading to [this] growth is the company's leadership role in technical expertise, training, education and customer service," added Don Pyatt, president of Viracon. "As architectural glass grows more technical and sophisticated, architects and contractors require more assistance and training to specify glass that will meet increasingly disparate needs in the most cost-effective manner."