Added Jobs As Solar-part Producer Expands Business

Solar-part producer to expand, add 50 jobs


November 30, 2010

By: Dan Gearino

A Columbus manufacturer plans to nearly triple its work force over the next three years, adding about 50 jobs as part of an expansion.

SCI Engineered Materials, based on the Far West Side, announced the plans yesterday. The company produces ceramic materials used in solar-power components, among other products.

"We're moving from the prototype stage to the manufacturing stage," said Dan Rooney, president and CEO. "It should lead to the biggest growth we've ever seen."

SCI was founded in 1987 as Superconductive Components Inc. by an Ohio State University metallurgy professor and his wife. The company, which now has 26 workers, has evolved to focus almost exclusively on materials that customers use to produce reflective or transparent surfaces.

Some of the financing for the expansion will come from the state government, which has approved $2.1 million worth of loans. SCI is providing the remainder of the $3 million project cost.

"The growth likely means the company will need to find a new location in central Ohio", Rooney said, "for now, though, there is some room to grow at the current location."