OMCO Solar, a racking manufacturer based in Phoenix, Arizona, invested $10 million into its second factory in Alabama, which opened last month. OMCO is leasing a factory building in Huntsville, Alabama, outfitted the facility for the production of solar racking that will employ 70 people once operating at full capacity.

“OMCO has a heritage in steel fabrication dating back decades and has built a national manufacturing footprint through savvy investment projects,” said State Commerce Secretary Ellen Secretary McNair. “I’m proud that this great company, dedicated to manufacturing its products in America, has decided to expand its presence in Alabama and create additional career opportunities in Huntsville.”

The facility in Huntsville opened last month after a $10 million investment, now employs 30 full-time workers and will be fully operational within the third quarter.

OMCO has delievered 10.5 GW of solar mounting structures, including trackers, for distributed generation and utility-scale solar projects nationwide.

“We are thankful to the state of Alabama and their approach to business with tax incentives that line up with our commitment to support domestic manufacturing, create U.S. jobs and provide factory-direct solutions that solve for the complexity of utility-scale solar projects,” said Gary Schuster, CEO of OMCO Solar. “Our newest facility in Huntsville is our second in the state and shows our dedication to driving growth in Alabama.”

Growth plans

The Huntsville facility is producing the backrail for Series 7 PV modules for First Solar. First Solar is constructing a solar panel factory in Lawrence County as part of a $1.1 billion project that is expected to come online later this year. To scale quickly and support the expected Series 7 volumes, OMCO’s newly established plant will be in close proximity to First Solar’s new solar panel factory.

OMCO now operates six U.S. plants, located in Arizona, Ohio, Indiana and in Talladega, Alabama.

“OMCO’s expansion into the Huntsville Greenbrier corridor is another testament to Huntsville’s economic development strategy, which has been to make key infrastructure investments and to utilize existing policy to create jobs and new capital investments,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “We are confident OMCO will see tremendous success in Huntsville, much like the dozens of new and existing industries that have chosen us for their new home. We look forward to providing OMCO the long-term support that Huntsville is known to deliver.”

News item from the Alabama Department of Commerce