Corning facility

Corning Inc., based in Corning, NY, says that its second U.S. optical-fiber manufacturing facility will be located in Midland, NC, near Charlotte. The company plans to invest several hundred million dollars in the facility. Construction is slated for early 1997, with initial production scheduled for 1999. During the next four years, Corning expects to more than double its fiber-making capability. That increase will be fueled by the new facility, as well as by a $250-million expansion of the Wilmington plant, expected to be completed in early 1998. According to John W. Loose, president of Corning Communications, a unit of Corning Inc. "Growth in the worldwide demand for Corning fiber is the primary driver behind our move to build a second plant."