Building Industrial Plants
Contractors busy putting' up new factories
and expanding' old ones from mountains
to sea.
A subsidiary of the Southern Light¬
weight Aggregate Corporation in Rich-
Bp MILKS HUGHEY
Wider geographical distribution key¬
noted North Carolina's industrial con¬
struction in 1953. Types of industrial
plants built, expanded and planned for
the state during the year also were
widely diversified.
The number of new plants located in
the state during the year, planned for
construction, or to which significant
additions were made in 1953 was 235.
with more than $60 million investment,
and a potential of 16.327 new jobs.
Ben E. Douglas, director of the De¬
partment of Conservation and Devel¬
opment. announced.
Significant additions by two old
established industries heralded further
major expansion. Enka Rayon Corpo¬
ration announced plans for a $3 million
pilot nylon plant, on its present site
west of Asheville, to be built by Mer¬
chants Construction Company, and
Ecusta Paper Company, a short dis¬
tance to the south near Brevard, added
a cellophane making operation to its
cigarette and fine paper manufacturing
plant, the nation's largest.
Textile Diversification
Goodall-Sanford's new yarn plant
now under construction at Hot Springs
exemplifies both the geographical dis¬
tribution and diversification in the
State's huge textile industry. The proj¬
ect represents a building and property
investment of $800,000. with another
million dollars for equipment in this
small mountain town on the north¬
western edge of the state.
Other new and expanded textile
properties include the three Talon.
Inc., zipper plants at Belmont (Pinnix
contractor), and Stanley in the Pied¬
mont. and Woodland in the east. Two
other large plants being located at op¬
posite ends of the state include the
American Thread Company unit,
which began operations this year in a
600,000 square foot building at Sevier,
in the mountains, and the $30 million
du Pont plant at Kinston. Daniel Con¬
struction Company of Greenville built
The Carolina Solitc Corporation’s
new plant in Aquadalc, N. C-, has gone
on a full seven-day a week operation
schedule, John W. Roberts, president,
announced today.
Construction on this new million-
dollar plant began last spring, bringing
a new industry — the first of its kind —
to North Carolina. The plant will help
supply the increasing demand for
Solitc. a controlled lightweight aggre¬
gate used in the place of sand, gravel
and crushed stone in the manufacture
of structural concrete and lightweight
masonry units.
the thread mill. Production of the new
synthetic fibre. Dacron, began in the
du Pont plant, located in the "tobacco
country" of eastern North Carolina,
where millions of dollars in bright leaf
tobacco is produced annually, but
which until now had comparatively
little industry. J. P. Stevens Company
is also operating a new textile plant at
Wallace, near Kinston.
Other textile building and expan-
mond, Ya.. the new plant wdl ship
Solitc throughout North and South
Carolina. Tennessee. Georgia and
Florida. I he process for manufac¬
turing Solitc is similar to that used in
making of Portland cement.
Solitc has been used in the Coliseum
at Raleigh; Watts Hospital in Durham:
the dormitory of Duke University, and
many residential homes and large
housing projects throughout the south¬
east. The new plant is on the Norfolk
Southern Railroad.
sion activities during the year include:
Two firms at Newton recorded expan¬
sions. Carolina Mills doubling the size
of its blcachery and Clyde Fabrics
erecting a $40,000 addition. Both are
long-established firms in that area. At
.Mount Holly. American & Efird Mills
began operations in a 70.000 square
foot extension, in which is located a
new thread plant.
Dover Mills at Shelby announced
THE STATE. January 16. 1954
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