Xerox Corp. will expand its emulsion aggregation toner plant in Webster, the company said Monday. The $35 million project is expected to create roughly 25 jobs.
Xerox will construct two additions to its Webster plant, increasing the size from 100,000 square feet to 155,000 square feet, and will add some $26 million in EA toner manufacturing equipment, the company said. Developed by Xerox and protected by more than 300 patents, EA toner produces sharper images using less toner per page than traditional toner.
The expansion is slated to start this month with completion expected in February 2015. The new jobs will include process operators, quality control, lab personnel and additional maintenance staff. The project also will generate roughly 70 full-time construction jobs, the company said.
Empire State Development Corp. is providing a $500,000 grant for the project and the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency is providing sales and tax benefits to the company. Rochester Gas & Electric Co. will provide economic development grants to offset costs associated with electrical infrastructure and efficiency improvements.
“As a global manufacturer of toner, we considered options around the world, but tax abatement incentives from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency and a grant from Empire State Development contributed to making Webster the most cost effective location to build additional manufacturing capacity,” said Richard Schmachtenberg, Xerox senior vice president, Consumables Development and Manufacturing, in a statement.
The request for COMIDA incentives had been criticized by some, including Webster Town Supervisor Ronald Nesbitt, who has said Xerox is financially strong and does not need tax breaks. The company also has filed a lawsuit over assessments at other properties on its Webster campus, he said.
The five-story plant, which opened in 2007, is one of a handful of its kind in the world. It features more than 25 miles of pipe and stainless steel tanks and includes more than 9,000 sensors that track information about temperature, humidity, air flow and other variables.
Xerox has invested $100 million in the plant in original construction and upgrades. This would be the first additions to the original structure.