By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green is now home to the first U.S. manufacturing plant for a global leader in rare metal coatings.
Last week, Vital & FHR North America celebrated the progress being made at the company’s new location on Brim Road. When the company bought the shuttered Wall Street Journal printing plant last year, the giant three-story printing presses were still there – quiet after their heyday of printing 167,000 papers daily.
The towering presses were removed and the rooms that were previously packed with massive rolls of newspaper were emptied. In their place now are masses of highly technical robotic equipment which should be fully functioning in September, according to Bruce Dulin, operations manager at the Bowling Green plant.
“This is a world class operation here,” Dulin said.
Founded in 1995, Vital Materials is a high-tech enterprise and a global leader in research and development, production, sales and recycling of rare metals and high-tech materials, devices, modules and systems.
The company is the world’s leading producer of rare metals.
The Chinese company operates in 17 countries and has close to 7,000 employees. In 2022, the company established Vital & FHR North America LLC. This subsidiary specializes in the manufacturing of materials and vacuum coating systems for a diverse range of applications, including solar, display, automotive, sensors, photonics and wearable/decorative products.
“Vital’s investment into Bowling Green is paramount to reduce inventory costs, shorten lead times, and secure critical supply chains for key customers, while contributing to local economic development and job creation,” the company’s press release stated.
The Bowling Green manufacturing site will provide services for Bloom Energy, a distributor of electricity and hydrogen, and will serve as an engineering center for medical imaging devices.
Vital & FHR will also be working with First Solar, Dulin said.
“This is the first production facility in the U.S.,” he said.
When the plant begins operations, it will employ close to 60 people. The company owns another 11 acres behind the existing plant.
“We’re already planning to expand,” Dulin said. “With expansion, we’ll see opportunities go above 100 easily.”
According to Dulin, Vital & FHR was attracted to the Brim Road location because the existing building was the right size, this is a more economic area than other sites, and because local officials were very helpful.
“The city has been willing to work with us,” Dulin said.
Bowling Green city and economic development officials helped meet the utility needs of the company, connected the company with local vendors, and helped with the environmental permitting process.
“They’ve helped us left and right,” Dulin said.
