Economic development coming to Lumberton

LUMBERTON – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced yet another economic development project that selected the state for expansion on Tuesday morning. According to a statement, Asbury Graphite of North Carolina will expand in Robeson County, investing $16.9 million to enhance capacity at an existing facility in Lumberton.

Along with the investment, the company plans to add at least 22 new jobs paying average annual wages of nearly $44,000, according to a statement released Tuesday morning by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

“Asbury Graphite is yet another company that sees the value of doing business in our state,” said Governor Cooper in the statement. “When they could expand anywhere in the world, Asbury selected Robeson County, North Carolina because they believe in our quality of life, our infrastructure and our workforce.”

The company, headquartered in New Jersey, provides “engineered solutions based on graphite and carbons” according to the statement, and has been operating for more than 125 years.

Asbury serves the automotive, steel, and other industries with carbon products, according to the statement, and also maintains locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

This expansion project in the existing Lumberton facility will include “a new quality assurance lab, renovation for shipping and maintenance offices, and added employee amenities of showers, locker area, and restrooms,” the statement noted.

And Asbury will also repurpose and upgrade two large warehouses to add production capacity for a material that Travis Toth, plant manager for Asbury Graphite of North Carolina, called a “next-generation material” in a statement.

“This investment is a significant achievement for the Lumberton plant,” added Toth.

Atlantic Building Components to invest $6M, hire 105 workers, in Robeson County

Economic development in Robeson County

Last year, Elkay Manufacturing elected to invest $5.5 million to expand a Lumberton facility, anticipating it would add 20 new jobs.

And earlier this year, Atlantic Building Components announced a $6 million investment and plans to hire 105 workers to expand capacity in manufacturing products used by new construction homebuilders.