Selma manufacturing plant closed since 2018 set to reopen

SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) - A Selma manufacturing plant that closed its doors in 2018 is about to reopen them with a January 2022 start date, according to U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell’s office.

Globe Metallurgical Inc. will restart its silicon plant with a complete ramp-up to full operational capacity expected soon afterward.

“I’m thrilled that Globe Metallurgical Inc. is reopening its silicon metal facility in my hometown of Selma!” said Rep. Sewell, D-District 7. “Manufacturing facilities are economic pillars in our community. I applaud everyone for their continued work in promoting growth and economic opportunity through high-quality jobs to residents in Selma and across the Black Belt.”

At full operational capacity, the facility will employ around 100 people and do business with 150 local suppliers. Sewell’s office added that the two-furnace operation could produce up to 22,000 tons of silicon metal a year.

Sewell’s office said that the plant closed in 2018 due to low prices for silicon metals caused by foreign dumping. That’s a process the World Trade Organization says is present when “the price of a product when sold in the importing country is less than the price of that product in the market of the exporting country.”

As a result of an increased demand and rise of prices, reopening of the plant became possible.

Globe Metallurgical, Inc. spent millions of dollars refurbishing the plant, aided by the Dallas County Commission and the State of Alabama in preparation for the plant’s reopening. Additionally, the company hopes to secure federal New Market Tax Credits, which will enable further investment and an expansion of capabilities in the Selma operation.