Kaydon Investing in Sumter County

The Kaydon Corp. announced it will invest an additional $4.5 million and create up to 10 new jobs at its plant here.

The expansion will include new equipment like industrial lathes, heat treatment devices, and overhead cranes.

Two years ago, Kaydon announced it would invest $6 million in Kaydon Plant #4, one of two plants in Sumter County, and create 35 new jobs.

However, the strength of the renewable energy market has exceeded those numbers by 15 percent, with an actual investment of $6.9 million.

Kaydon is a supplier of wind turbine bearings.

Kaydon has participated in the North American wind energy market since the early 1990¡¯s. The recent rapid increase in the market for Large Wind Turbines has driven the demand for the kind of large diameter bearings Kaydon manufactures.

The first Sumter factory was opened by Kaydon in 1976, followed by a second facility, Plant #12, in 1990.