OMCO Solar, a factory-direct manufacturer of solar trackers and fixed-tilt racking, announced today at RE+ 2023 the opening of its sixth U.S. manufacturing facility. The new factory located in Alabama will feature four new manufacturing systems for OMCO Solar’s Fixed Tilt Choice and Origin Tracker solutions.
Additionally, OMCO Solar has also been selected by First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) to manufacture and supply the module backrails for its Series 7 modules. The backrails will be produced by the new Alabama facility.
OMCO Solar’s invested more than $10 million in the company’s second Alabama plant. When completed, it will encompass a footprint of approximately 170,000 sq ft and employ 100 people. This expansion will increase OMCO Solar’s overall manufacturing capacity more than 10 GW across its six facilities, encompassing more than 700,000 sq ft of manufacturing space throughout the U.S.
“The First Solar agreement, and our newest facility in Alabama, demonstrate our commitment to bolster domestic manufacturing, create U.S. jobs and provide factory-direct solutions that solve for the complexity of utility-scale solar projects,” said Gary Schuster, CEO of OMCO Solar. “Our legacy of using only domestically produced steel further underscores our dedication to driving growth at home, as well as our commitment to build domestic supply chains that support our nation’s energy security.”
To support the expected Series 7 volumes, OMCO’s newly established plant will be in close proximity to First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Alabama, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.
“Ever since we made the strategic decision to build a domestic value chain in 2019, we have built a supply ecosystem that demonstrates that it is possible to manufacture a solar module in America, for America, with domestically sourced materials including glass and steel,” said Mike Koralewski, chief supply chain officer, First Solar. “It’s clear that the value of our manufacturing investments extends beyond the factory floor, as a result of our investments in domestic supply chains. Working with suppliers like OMCO helps us to maximize the value created for the U.S. in terms of jobs and economic growth.”
OMCO is also entering the utility-scale solar market with its solar tracker system. Origin trackers have been deployed in commercial and distributed generation projects, and OMCO’s fixed-tilt racking has served the utility-scale market. With this sixth manufacturing plant in the United States, OMCO is planning to increase tracker production for larger scale projects.
“The takeaway is this is a bold entrance into the utility-scale solar market,” said Eric Goodwin, director of business development for OMCO. “Our strategy was to walk before we run. But now we’re scaling capacity to meet any size market.”
OMCO’s racking is supplied directly from its factories and is manufactured using domestically sourced steel.
“As the nation’s only solar mounting company that produces all our own structural components in our factories, everything we make is meticulously engineered to meet strict quality standards and ensure the shortest lead times. We offer First Solar and our developer partners certainty in product supply with our model of OMCO Solar is ‘Made in America’. Our supply chain is reliable and flexible to adjust to ever changing project schedules,” Goowdin said.
News item from OMCO Solar
