Dow Corning Corporation will invest $117 million to expand its Auburn, Michigan manufacturing facility, with plans to add 73 additional employees to its workforce of 240.

In addition to its plant expansion, the firm will also lease 100,000 square feet of space in downtown Bay City, Michigan, as the anchor tenant in a new development project.

A company spokesman said, along with developing other products, workers at its Williams Township plant in Auburn will research, develop and manufacture silicon carbide wafers used in many electronic systems and components. Dow Corning is a majority shareholder in the Hemlock Semiconductor Group, a manufacturer of polycrystalline silicon used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices.

The 203, 373 square foot Auburn Site on 11 Mile Road manufactures hundreds of products. Product lines manufactured at the site include; adhesives, sealants, thermally conductive materials, gels, pottants and encapsulants, conformal coatings, cure in place gaskets, primers, dielectrics, mold-making, fiber optics, and silicone carbide wafers.

In addition to our manufacturing processes, Auburn Site is an important center for research and development of new products, the firm said.

As an incentive Dow Corning received tax abatements from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Bay Future and Williams Township.