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Tag: Aiken County

Rolls-Royce expands Aiken County manufacturing operations

    Rolls-Royce expands Aiken County manufacturing operations

 $75 million investment will create 60 new jobs

For Immediate Release
July 15, 2025

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc. (Rolls-Royce), a provider of off-highway engines and complete power generation systems, today announced it is expanding its mtu engine manufacturing operations in Aiken County. The company’s $75 million investment will create 60 new jobs.

With more than 110 years of experience, Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division manufactures and services propulsion engines and energy systems under the mtu brand. The company’s products include high-speed combustion engines and emergency power systems used in data centers, hospitals, universities and municipalities.

Located at 660 Bettis Academy Road in Graniteville, the two-phase facility expansion will accommodate increased production volume for Rolls-Royce’s mtu Series 4000 engines to meet growing demand for backup power in the data center industry.

Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with expanded operations expected to be online in July 2027. Individuals interested in joining the Rolls-Royce team should visit the company’s careers page.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project.

QUOTES

“Today’s announcement underscores Rolls-Royce’s commitment to the U.S. market and demonstrates our robust manufacturing capabilities. We are proud to support America’s growing demand for reliable, domestically made energy systems that strengthen our nation’s energy independence and security. With more than half the world’s hyperscale data centers located here in the U.S., this will continue to be a key growth market for many years to come.”
–Rolls-Royce North America CEO Adam Riddle

“Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc.’s expansion in Aiken County further positions South Carolina as a leader in advanced manufacturing. This investment and the 60 jobs it will bring represent a big win for the community, and we are proud of the success Rolls-Royce has found in our state.”
-Gov. Henry McMaster

“Today’s announcement reinforces Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc.’s commitment to doing business in South Carolina and contributing to our world-class manufacturing base. We are excited to celebrate Rolls-Royce’s ongoing growth and $75 million expansion in Aiken County.”
-Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

“I’m pleased that Rolls-Royce is announcing this critical expansion at its Sage Mill Industrial Park location. The investment of $75 million and 60 new jobs is a welcome addition to Aiken County’s industrial base. Rolls-Royce is an outstanding corporate citizen, and the Aiken County Council is glad that we’re maintaining our healthy manufacturing environment.”
-Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker

“We congratulate Rolls-Royce on this exciting $75 million expansion of their Aiken County facilities. For 15 years, they’ve been a vital part of our region’s growth, and this new investment — bringing 60 high-quality jobs — underscores their continued leadership in supporting the rapidly growing demand for backup power in the global data center industry.”
-Western SC Economic Development Partnership Board Chairman Gary Stooksbury

Five fast facts
  • Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc. (Rolls-Royce) is expanding its manufacturing operations in Aiken County.
  • The company’s $75 million investment will create 60 new jobs.
  • Rolls-Royce is a provider of off-highway engines and complete power generation solutions.
  • The company is located at 660 Bettis Academy Road in Graniteville, S.C.
  • Individuals interested in joining the Rolls-Royce team should visit the company’s careers page.

S.C. COMMERCE MEDIA CONTACT:

Kelly Coakley
Director of Marketing and Communications
South Carolina Department of Commerce

(803) 737-1998

kcoakley@sccommerce.com

www.SCcommerce.com

ROLLS-ROYCE MEDIA CONTACT:
Whitney Smith
External Communications Lead
Rolls-Royce

(703) 357-6016

Whitney.Smith@Rolls-Royce.com

Kimberly-Clark Corporation expanding Aiken County operation

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2025

     Kimberly-Clark Corporation expanding Aiken County operation

 Over $200 million investment will create more than 150 new jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Kimberly-Clark Corporation (Kimberly-Clark), a producer of personal care products, today announced it is expanding its operations in Aiken County. The company’s investment of over $200 million will create more than 150 new jobs.

Founded in 1872, Kimberly-Clark’s well-known brands, including Cottonelle, Huggies, Kleenex, Scott and more, are sold in over 175 countries. The company is headquartered in Texas and has more than 40,000 employees worldwide.

Kimberly-Clark will add 1.1 million square feet to its existing facility located at 246 Old Jackson Highway in Beech Island. The expansion will streamline Kimberly-Clark’s distribution footprint, significantly increasing its ability to ship directly from its mega-manufacturing facility located on the same site. The facility will leverage advanced robotics, artificial intelligence-powered logistics systems and high-density automated storage to dramatically improve operational efficiencies. Established in 1968, the Beech Island manufacturing facility is the company’s largest globally.

Operations are expected to be online in the second quarter of 2027. Individuals interested in joining the Kimberly-Clark team should visit the company’s careers page.

Quotes

“This investment represents the strong progress we are making on our end-to-end supply chain transformation. By bringing together manufacturing and distribution under one automated roof, we are building a more agile, responsive and resilient operating model that will enhance service levels for our retail partners. Beech Island is the largest facility in our manufacturing network, so this new investment will drive impact at scale.”
-Kimberly-Clark Chief Supply Chain Officer Tamera Fenske

 

“Thanks to South Carolina’s exceptional business climate, global leaders like Kimberly-Clark Corporation are finding lasting success in our state. The company’s commitment to investing in South Carolina is truly something worth celebrating, and we congratulate Kimberly-Clark and Aiken County on this milestone.”
-Gov. Henry McMaster

 

“Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s decision to build upon its decades-long legacy in Aiken County is great news for our state and our people. South Carolina is proud to be the home of Kimberly-Clark’s largest manufacturing facility and celebrate its latest investment of over $200 million in the Aiken County community.”
-Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

 

“I’m pleased to hear the news of this major expansion at Kimberly-Clark’s Beech Island facility. Kimberly-Clark has been a cornerstone in Aiken County’s economy for decades, and this investment represents a continued vote of confidence in our community and what it offers the manufacturing sector. Maintaining a business-friendly environment is not only good for business, but also for the county, the taxpayers and the talented workforce on Kimberly-Clark’s team.”
-Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker

“We are proud to support Kimberly-Clark’s continued investment in Aiken County. This expansion not only reinforces their long-term commitment to the region but also brings new opportunities for economic growth and job creation.”
-Western SC Economic Development Partnership Board Chairman Gary Stooksbury

FIVE FAST FACTS
  • Kimberly-Clark Corporation (Kimberly-Clark) is expanding its operations in Aiken County.
  • The company’s investment of over $200 million will create more than 150 new jobs.
  • Kimberly-Clark is a producer of personal care products.
  • The company’s South Carolina facility is located at 246 Old Jackson Highway in Beech Island, S.C.
  • Individuals interested in joining the Kimberly-Clark team should visit the company’s careers page.

About Kimberly-Clark:

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people’s most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what’s important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere for the seventh year in a row and one of Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s more than 150-year history of innovation, visit the website.

KIMBERLY-CLARK MEDIA CONTACT:

Media Relations
media.relations@kcc.com
www.kimberly-clark.com

About S.C. Commerce

Welcome to South Carolina. The new headquarters of American innovation. As the state’s lead economic development agency, the South Carolina Department of Commerce (S.C. Commerce) works to recruit and support companies of all sizes in their quest to launch, expand and build a legacy. With proactive, strategic initiatives that help the agency create economic opportunities to increase choices for all South Carolinians, S.C. Commerce champions new and existing businesses and partnerships that fuel emerging and established industries alike. S.C. Commerce is the principal collaborator for SC NEXUS, a consortium of state leaders in government, utilities, higher education and other stakeholders exploring advanced energy. Recognized for its pro-business climate and policies that have attracted global brands and industry leaders, South Carolina is committed to maintaining the state’s long-term competitiveness while building a modern economy — one that is diverse, supporting businesses at every phase of their lifecycle – allowing people to live and work where they love. For more information, visit www.sccommerce.com.

S.C. COMMERCE MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly Coakley
Director of Marketing and Communications
South Carolina Department of Commerce
(803) 737-1998
kcoakley@sccommerce.com
www.SCcommerce.com

 

 

 

Aiken County Council approves incentives for economic development plan that could bring in new industries

By Dede Biles dbiles@aikenstandard.com

4/2/2025

A Tennessee-based general partnership that is spearheading a project that could help bring new industries to Aiken County received support from Aiken County Council on April 1.

The panel unanimously approved the third and final reading of an ordinance that will provide a fee in lieu of property tax incentive and “certain infrastructure credits” to Hollingsworth GP, which is associated with The Hollingsworth Companies.

Hollingsworth GP’s plan is to construct speculative industrial buildings on several pieces of property in Sage Mill Industrial Park, which is in the Graniteville/Vaucluse area.

The Hollingsworth Companies “develop industrial buildings for tenants that they have strong relationships with,” said Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western SC Economic Development Partnership. “Hollingsworth maintains these buildings and they hold on to them. They are not in the business of building a building, getting someone [to lease it] and then selling it.”

The Hollingsworth Companies “serve numerous industrial clients with over 18 million square feet of industrial space,” according to hollingsworthcos.com.

To begin with, Hollingsworth GP will construct two buildings in Sage Mill, according to the ordinance.

“They have a plan that they will build eventually nine buildings,” Williams said.

Those structures, he added, will be “great assets for the community” because “we’re developable site rich, but existing building poor.”

That situation makes it more difficult to attract new industries in Williams’ opinion.

“When you build a new building from scratch, you’re looking at 18 months,” he said. “But in today’s marketplace, companies make decisions quickly and they want to be able to start up pretty quickly.”

Williams mentioned, as an example, Generac Power Systems Inc., which purchased an existing 421,000-square-foot building in Edgefield County in February 2021 to use as a manufacturing, assembly and distribution facility. Operations began there in July of the same year.

Generac makes backup power generation products for the residential, commercial and industrial markets.

All nine members of County Council were present at the panel’s April 1 meeting, which was held at the Aiken County Government Center.

In other action, County Council unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance that would change the zoning designation for 16 tax parcels in the Beech Island area from Rural Development to Industrial Development.

In all, there are approximately 965 acres involved.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is seeking the zoning change.

Operations began at the company’s plant in Beech Island in 1968. Products made there include Huggies diapers, Kleenex facial tissues and Cottonelle toilet paper.

The plant has more than 2,000 employees.

An expansion of operations is possible, but nothing has been finalized, Beech Island Plant Manager Jeff Hutter told County Council in February.

The “potential new investment is still being evaluated by our [company’s] CEO and board of directors,” he said. “I’m not able to divulge full details as far as what the future plans may be. However, once the project is approved for our site, I will be sure to touch base back with the county.”

To learn more visit the Aiken Standard

Green Energy Biofuel improves operations to accept bigger contracts, more food waste

From Biobased Diesel Daily

RonKO Media Productions

March 3, 2025

While the U.S. market for green, renewable energy like liquid biofuels made from recycled fats, oils and greases may be uncertain right now thanks to shifting federal tax policies and a new administration, the future of green energy—and Green Energy Biofuel LLC—is certain, according to BioJoe Renwick, “head honcho” and co-owner of the South Carolina-based recycling company.

“Regardless of what the government is doing, we are contracting with new clients, placing new tanks, and growing capacity and scale every month,” Renwick said.

Recent developments at Green Energy Biofuel continue to help the firm fulfill its mission of being the Southeastern U.S.’s premier, vertically integrated organics-recycling company and service provider.

The company owns and operates a large-scale grease-processing plant in Warrenville, South Carolina, a facility that over the years has undergone—and continues to undergo—incremental improvements.

One of the more recent enhancements at the plant includes a complete system to accept and process trap grease.  

“Our new trap-grease processing system includes a boiler, centrifuges and specialty equipment designed to recover marketable grease from the nastiest sludge imaginable,” Renwick said.

As part of the system, the company installed an 18,000-gallon cone-bottom secondary-process receiving tank—bringing total dedicated process tankage to over 150,000 gallons—and a concrete spill-containment transloading pad.

In addition to trap grease, the new tank provides Green Energy Biofuel the unique option to bring in volumes of waste streams with heavy solids and water from tank and railcar cleanings—just one of the many services the company offers its industrial clients.

“In my 18 years of doing this, I have not seen a tank like this before,” Renwick said. “It will serve as a key piece of equipment needed to easily deal with hard-to-accept and hard-to-process wastes.”

Three years ago, the company bought a Depackaging Boss equipped to handle wet or dry food waste in industrial-scale, bulk quantities. The unit is designed to unwrap prepackaged, expired foods such as mayonnaise, salad dressing and similar goods to recover the oil and other organic materials. In February, Green Energy Biofuel set the first of two 34-yard trash compactors needed to reduce energy-intensive trips hauling the remaining inorganic materials offsite four to one, reducing costs and further lowering its environmental footprint.

To read more visit Biobased Diesel Daily

Or visit Green Energy Biofuel

 

Aiken County Council approves tax incentive for Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Pictured: Western SC Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Will Williams, left, and Jeff Hutter, the plant manager for Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s manufacturing facility in Beech Island, listen during Aiken County Council’s meeting Feb. 18 at the Aiken County Government Center.

February 18, 2025

Aiken County Council showed its support Feb. 18 for the possible expansion of one of the largest manufacturing operations locally.

The panel unanimously approved the third and final reading of an ordinance that will provide the Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Kimberly-Clark Palmetto Inc. with an incentive known as a fee in lieu of property taxes.

The vote was 8-0.

P.K. Hightower, who participated in much of County Council’s meeting at the Aiken County Government Center via telephone from Hong Kong, wasn’t on the line when the panel made its decision.

According to the ordinance’s language, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Kimberly-Clark Palmetto Inc. “acting for themselves, one or more current or future affiliates, and other project sponsors” would like to “establish and/or expand a manufacturing and distribution facility in county.”

If that happens, there would be a “taxable investment in real and personal property of not less than $400,000,000,” the ordinance states.

During a public hearing prior to County Council’s vote, Jeff Hutter, who is the plant manager for Kimberly-Clark’s Beech Island facility, told the panel that nothing had been finalized.

The “potential new investment is still being evaluated by our [company’s] CEO and board of directors,” he said. “I’m not able to divulge full details as far as what the future plans may be. However, once the project is approved for our site, I will be sure to touch base back with the county.

“The requested [property tax] abatement will help boost our financial case with our board of directors as we go through the approval process,” he added. “It will help increase the chances for that approval.”

Operations began at Kimberly-Clark’s Beech Island plant in 1968. Products made there include Huggies diapers, Kleenex facial tissues and Cottonelle toilet paper.

The plant has roughly 2,000 employees, Hutter said.

To learn more visit Aiken Standard.