Corning Inc. announced this week its plans to expand in North Carolina, but those plans do not include Wilmington.
 
On Monday, the company announced that Corning Optical Communications will expand operations at its North Carolina facilities in Hickory and Winston-Salem. The company plans to add 205 jobs and invest nearly $83.5 million in the state over the next five years.
 
“This expansion will build on the more than 300,000 new jobs added in North Carolina since 2013 and will further support our position as one of the fastest growing economies in the nation,” said Gov. Pat McCrory in a news release. “Corning’s decision to further invest in North Carolina is a testament to our highly-skilled workforce, access to markets and improving business climate.”
 
The Wilmington plant is believed to employ 1,000 people, although Corning does not officially reveal its staff numbers. The North College Road facility has more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing space on about 66 acres.
 
“The company’s current optical communications expansion plans are not expected to have an impact on the Corning Wilmington facility,” said Corning communications director Beth Dann on Tuesday.

“The Corning Optical Communications expansion plans that were announced by the state of North Carolina, Catawba Board of Commissions and the Hickory City Council are focused on building capacity in our cable manufacturing facilities, whereas Wilmington manufactures optical fiber,” Dann explained.
 
Corning said that growing demand for optical fiber in communications networks is behind plans for a $30 million expansion of its optical cable plant in Hickory. The company also announced a similar sized expansion of another plant in Winston-Salem.
 
“Corning is in its 45th year of delivering high-performance fiber optic solutions to global network operators,” said Clark Kinlin, executive vice president, Corning Optical Communications, in a news release. “This long history in North Carolina – and our planned expansions – would not be possible without the ongoing support of local, county, and state government entities. This decision is a win/win for the Hickory and Winston-Salem communities and for our highly skilled, diverse, and dedicated employees who work and live there.”
 
Corning’s international headquarters are in Corning, New York. The company has about 40,000 employees worldwide
 
Corning's expansions come as the company is building a $38 million headquarters for its optical communications business off Interstate 485 in northwest Charlotte.