DAK Americas LLC, a producer of resins for use in plastic beverage containers and polyester fibers for apparel, home furnishings and industrial uses, will invest $65 million to expand its Cape Fear manufacturing facility in Brunswick County, creating 40 new jobs by the end of next year. The announcement was made possible in part by a $100,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

DAK Americas, formed in 2001 and headquartered in Charlotte, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the petrochemicals and synthetic fibers business group of Alfa, S.A. de C.V., one of Mexico’s largest corporations with approximately 42,000 employees and revenues of more than $5 billion.

The Cape Fear plant, one of three DAK Americas facilities in North Carolina, currently employs 400 workers. The 40 new jobs will be mainly skilled manufacturing positions. The average weekly pay for all jobs at the Cape Fear facility including the new positions will be $680 per week plus benefits, which is substantially higher than the county’s average wage of $497.

"We are excited about the opportunities this expansion provides for our customers, employees, Brunswick County and the Wilmington area," said Hector Camberos, president and chief executive officer of DAK Americas. "The additional resin capacity will allow us to quickly and effectively meet customer demand, while providing a stronger foundation to the existing fibers and monomers business on site."

The One North Carolina Fund assists the state in recruiting and expanding quality jobs by providing financial assistance to businesses or industries deemed by the governor to be vital to a healthy and growing state economy. Since 2001, this Fund has helped create more than 17,000 jobs and bring $2 billion in investment to the state.

Other contributors that made this announcement possible include the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Department of Transportation, Brunswick County, North Carolina’s Southeast and Brunswick Community College.