A manufacturer of insulated glass panes for commercial buildings plans to hire 100 workers for a new, $15 million plant in Norwich, with aspirations to become an industry leader.
Solar Seal Architectural is leasing 200,000-square feet of industrial space for the next 12-plus years, a deal that also includes local incentives, according Jeff Heintz, senior vice president at Solar Seal.
Solar Seal Architectural has its roots in a Massachusetts company, Solar Seal LLC, that has been in a similar, glassmaking business for 60 years.
The difference between the two companies is that Solar Seal Architectural produces larger panes of glass — as big as 10 feet by 18 feet — and with more options for builders, Heintz said.
Initially, the plant is expected to hire 30, but Solar Seal will gradually increase that number to 100 as it adds shifts, Heintz said.
Heintz said it was attracted to the Norwich area because of the access to workers with the technical skills needed by the company. Solar Seal Architectural also saw potential in the area having two technical high schools and being close to the Navy shipyard in Groton.
In addition, an area company that made frames for commercial glass panels recently shutdown so that could be a source of expertise, Heintz said.
Heintz said the company aspires to be an industry leader using rigorous quality control that include 15 different automated inspection points during production.
“If you’re thinking that you are hanging a piece of glass that is more than 100 stories up, you don’t want to get up there and find you have a big scratch on it,” Heintz said. “We will deliver a product that is more or less defect free.”
A major focus for the company is designing glass to cut energy costs.
“The products that we put in are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they will cut down on your heating and air conditioning costs significantly,” Heintz said.
The manufacturing and distribution building being leased by Solar Seal at 40 Wisconsin Ave. is owned by an affiliate of The Grossman Cos. of Quincy, Mass.
Nicholas Morizio and Sean Kumnick of Colliers International, the commercial real estate services firm, represented both the landlord and the tenant.
Kumnick said demand for industrial space continues to remain strong throughout Connecticut.
“The demand for manufacturing and warehouse and distribution uses has driven up market rents 15-20 percent across Connecticut,” Kumnick said.
This story was updated at 6:18 p.m. on November 30, 2021 to correct an earlier version that incorrectly stated that Solar Seal had received state incentives to move to Connecticut.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
