Carlson Engineered Composites USA is planning to set up a fiberglass component manufacturing plant in Anniston and create 75 new jobs. Operations should begin in the first quarter of this year.

The announcement came this afternoon through the Calhoun County Economic Development Council. Carlson, a Canadian firm based in Winnipeg, will invest about $3 million in the project.

The company plans on locating in an existing 67,000-square-foot building on Electronics Drive. The building will be purchased by the EDC and leased to Carlson.

Carlson Engineered Composites USA is a subsidiary of the Carlson Group, and the Anniston location will be similar to a production facility in St. Cloud, Minn. That plant manufactures fiberglass composites for manufacturers in the transportation, agricultural, automotive, recreational and food processing industries.

Full Article: http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/2015/02/anniston_lures_canadian_fiberg.html#incart_river

One of the company's largest automotive customers is New Flyer Industries, which also has a facility in Anniston.

Larry Deason, the Calhoun County Economic Development Council's chairman, said the announcement came after months of negotiations.

"This is an industry we highly recruited from Winnipeg," Deason said. "They have a great relationship with New Flyer, and we are anticipating even more jobs to come as they increase their market share in the Southeast."

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield said in a news release that Carlson, by locating in Anniston, can pursue new business in the region's thriving automotive manufacturing sector.