Glass Bottle Manufacturer to Expand its Covington Plant

ATLANTA, January 10, 2007 - The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced today that Saint Gobain Desjonquères (SGD), an international glass products manufacturer supplying the perfume and pharmaceutical industries, will add a fourth production line and 35 jobs to its plant in Covington. The investment is valued at $4.2 million. "We are always excited to see companies in Georgia thrive in the business-friendly environment that we have worked hard to foster and develop," said GDEcD Commissioner Ken Stewart. "Our experienced workforce and easy access to the world's markets encourage international companies to grow their businesses here." The Covington facility is part of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world. It is the company's only perfume bottle manufacturing site in North America. The SGD Covington facility produces glass perfume bottles and decanters for Mary Kay, L'Oreal and Chanel. Its 330,000-square-foot plant was built in 1999 and employs 350. The expansion, which the company expects to be operational in August 2008, will increase production capacity to serve markets globally. SGD has a sister plant in Sparta, Ga., where the perfume bottles made in Covington are decorated. "We're delighted SGD decided to add the fourth production line at the Covington facility," said John Boothby, president of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce. "We hope the company considers future expansion based upon the success it has experienced here thus far. An anticipated new furnace should be the next step in increasing productivity." Saint Gobain Desjonquères, which traces its roots to 1665 as the "Manufacture Royale des Glaces" (Royal Manufacturer of Glass) for Louis the XIV, the Sun King of France, is today one of the major glassmakers in the world and a global leader in molded glass for pharmaceuticals, with a wide range of vials, bottles and jars in all sizes and shapes. Eight offices and a network of more than 80 agents on five continents allow Saint-Gobain Desjonquères to respond to the needs of more than 450 pharmaceutical companies in the world. In the U.S. and Canada, Saint-Gobain Corporation operates nearly 200 plants and employs approximately 25,000 people. The company has more than 900 employees in the state of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.