Story by Christian Phillips
The town of Siler City is about to get a lot busier. Upon the completion of this mammoth facility just outside of town, it will become the world’s largest producer of silicon carbide materials. The new factory is being built by a company from North Carolina called Wolfspeed.
Wolfspeed produces semiconductors, and they’re expanding, building two giant new facilities; one in upstate New York and now the other here in Siler City. The new plant will employ 1800 people.
“A lot of factors go into the ability to have a big enough site, are there people there, what is the infrastructure there, etc, but it all kind of came together in Siler City and it was the choice.,” said Brad Kohn, Wolfspeed’s Chief Legal Officer.
Wolfspeed is also partnering with local community colleges to offer courses to people who would want to work at the factory.
“It’s called the TCP, or Technician Certification Program, so they can learn to be technicians at our facility in Durham, so we are doing the exact same thing out there at Chatham County Community College and surrounding ones,” said Kohn.
Siler City Mayor Donald Matthews also highlighted why companies are starting to move and build in Siler City.
“The people of Siler City, the location of Siler City, being in the middle of the state, the highways system, 64 and 421, and I think everything fit, fell into place,” said Matthews.
People like Paul Cuadros, a professor at UNC, Chatham County resident, and state champion soccer coach at Siler City’s Jordan-Matthews High School.
“To add the only car manufacturer the state has ever seen to Chatham County [Vinfaast], and a computer chip manufacturing plant in Siler City, I mean it’s going to be a completely different county than it was before,” said Cuadros.
And it’s that change that will soon transform this small town into one of the biggest in terms of manufacturing in the state.
Come back in two-three-four years and watch. See what happened. And I think everybody will just be bouncing off the walls, excited. Because we have some great plans for this town and this community,” said Mayor Matthews.
“It’s not going to be the way it was in the past. That is certain. It’s not going to be the sleepy little town where Aunt Bee retired after Maybury, after the Andy Griffith show. Those days are going to be gone,” said Cuadros.
The Wolfspeed plant is expected to open by the end of this year, and upon completion of additions, is planned to one day be roughly a million square feet.
