OMCO Solar, a large manufacturer of steel structures for solar panels, has opened its second production facility in Alabama, a $10 million investment, and plans to create 70 full-time jobs. Currently the company has 30 full-time workers and should be fully operational in the third quarter.
OMCO has leased Building 100 in the Huntsville West Industrial Park and has outfitted the facility for production of solar racking.
“OMCO has a heritage in steel fabrication dating back decades and has built a national manufacturing footprint through savvy investment projects,” said Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair.
OMCO was founded in 1955 and is the largest custom roll former in the U.S., serving customers across a wide array of industries. It produces both solar trackers and fixed-tilt structures for solar arrays. It makes its products from U.S.-produced steel.
The Huntsville facility houses multiple high-speed manufacturing systems designed specifically to produce the Series 7 PV module backrail for First Solar, the largest U.S.-based solar module manufacturer, according to a release by Alabama Department of Commerce. This new facility is close to First Solar’s $1.1 billion facility in Lawrence County, where First Solar will make thin-film PV modules. First Solar’s facility is currently under construction but is expected to come online later this year.
“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.
OMCO’s other Alabama facility is in Talladega, established in 2014. It also has locations in Arizona, Ohio and Indiana.
