Excerpts:

(The Decatur Daily (AL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 2– … Daikin Industries chose Decatur over China for a plant expansion

The $66 million expansion will create at least 25 jobs. With the national economy so shaky, it is great news, Fowler said…

David Hendrixson, Daikin plant manager, said he expects to break ground this month, with production beginning in April 2010.

The facility will increase Daikin’s production of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, usually referred to as ETFE. Customers use the plastic in wire and cable, primarily for high-end military, aircraft and medical applications.

… “This has just really helped our plant,” he said. “This is our third expansion in this particular area (ETFE production). This is our biggest (ETFE) expansion. We’re still making all our other products, but really increasing this one product line.”

… To help persuade Daikin to expand in Decatur, the Industrial Development Board in August authorized a tax abatement for the project. Over 10 years, the Industrial Development Board action waived $137,000 in non-educational Morgan County property taxes and $1 million in state sales and use taxes.

The company estimates the expansion will generate $135,000 a year in property taxes for Morgan County schools and $628,000 in Morgan County sales and use taxes.

Daikin Industries employs 19,000 people and has manufacturing operations in 11 countries.

It produces more than 1,800 kinds of fluorine compounds. It is the world’s second-largest producer of fluorine chemicals after DuPont…

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