New Facility Updates
SBE Inc. has recently won a matching grant of $9.1 million as the major piece of funding for an $18 million project under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electrical Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative, part of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to expand its electric car technology manufacturing. The manufacturing facility, dedicated to the transportation market, will be located in Barre, Vermont at the Wilson Industrial Park and will have capacity to produce Power Ring capacitors for over 100,000 plug-in hybrid and electric drive vehicles within 3 years. Such capacity will complement capacity at its current facility. SBE broke ground in April 2010 and expects to move in to the facility in November 2010.
Updated Progress Report on New Manufacturing Facility
July 23, 2010 by SBE team
SBE’s new high-volume manufacturing project is continuing to make great progress, and is even ahead of schedule!
Recent project milestones on the construction include:
- The roof is in place,
- Exterior walls have been installed,
- Access roads and two parking areas are mostly completed,
- Work on the lawn has begun,
- Light poles and site lights are onsite.
The pouring of the concrete slab will begin next week, week of July 26th. SBE is expecting to move into the completed 52,800 ft2 state of the art facility by the end of 2010.
Progress Report on SBE’s New Manufacturing Facility
June 14, 2010 by SBE team
After officially breaking ground on its new high‐volume manufacturing facility this past April, SBE’s $18 million project is well underway and still on schedule to begin first move-in by the end of 2010!
The new facility, located in Barre, Vermont’s Wilson Industrial Park, has seen the following progress:
- Completion of site exaction
- Access roads in place
- Completion of the plant’s underground utilities (electrical and sewer)
- Placement of storm drainage
- Plant foundation and foundation backfilling nearing completion
- Erection of steel structure
The 52,800ft2 state of the art manufacturing facility will be dedicated to the transportation market. By strategically planning the production floor layout to mirror the production process, SBE will reduce both wasted time and materials, and maximize efficiency. Integrating private offices, work stations, conference rooms and a large lunch/training room, the 13,000 ft2 office space has been designed with one core value in mind: “creating an enjoyable workspace for employees”. The construction services firm working on SBE’s new facility is Barre, Vermont based, E.F. Wall & Associates.
Earlier in the year, SBE Inc. won a matching grant of $9.1 million under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electrical Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative. This major piece of funding was awarded to help SBE to expand its electric car technology manufacturing and is part of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. SBE’s new manufacturing plant facility will have capacity to produce Power Ring Film Capacitors™ for over 100,000 plug-in hybrid and electric drive vehicles within three years.
SBE Community Development Block Grant — Grant Awarded and Check Received
June 14, 2010 by SBE team
SBE, Inc. has signed closing documents with the Town of Barre for its Vermont Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) loan. On April 20, 2010 Edward Sawyer, President and CEO of SBE, Inc. signed into effect closing documents approving a $984,000 loan from the Town of Barre through a state awarded block grant. With the signing of the closing documents the program went into effect and SBE submitted its first requisition for funds in the amount of $424,112 on Thursday, April 29. The requisition was approved by VCDP on May 17, funds were then granted to the Town of Barre who in turn released them to SBE after their May 18 Select board meeting.
Since the fall of 2009, SBE has been working in conjunction with the Town of Barre on an application to the Vermont Community Development Program (VCDP) for a CDBG grant. The application proposed a program whereby SBE, through its current DOE electric vehicle DC link capacitor expansion project, would create 80 new jobs in two years; at least 41 of which to be filled by low and moderate income individuals. In return, SBE would receive a 10 year, 3% interest loan in the amount of $984,000 for the purchase of equipment. The loan will be administered by the Town of Barre in conjunction with the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission.
