Area Development
Mustang Vacuum Systems, a manufacturer of thin-film solar photovoltaic cell equipment, will relocate its manufacturing facilities within Florida and expand operations, according to the Bradenton Herald. The company, a division of Ohio-headquartered Mustang Dynamometer, will move from its current facilities in Sarasota County, Florida, to a 50,000-square-foot space in nearby Manatee County, where it will manufacture vacuum coating and metalizing equipment for solar cells. At least 125 new jobs will be created at an average annual salary of more than $40,000. "This will reduce some costs of our technology project, which is geared toward lowering the cost and increasing the efficiency of solar cells so that clean, renewable solar energy can be a viable choice for everyone," says Richard Greenwell, president of Mustang Vacuum Systems, quoted in the Herald. The state and county have offered the company financial incentives for the relocation; no information was released regarding the exact dollar amounts. The Herald says the company plans to complete the move and begin production in the new facility by the end of the year.