Saint-Gobain, one of the world's largest suppliers of innovative ceramic products, announced today it has chosen Saline County as the site for a new production facility to manufacture ceramic proppants. The announcement was made at a special ceremony at the Bauxite Museum in Bauxite, Arkansas, attended by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, Saint-Gobain representatives as well as state, community and business leaders.

Saint-Gobain's Proppants division will build a 100,000-square-foot facility on a 68-acre parcel of land in Saline County. The new $100 million facility is expected to employ up to 140 people when it is completed next year.

The new plant will manufacture ceramic proppants — spherical beads about the size of a grain of sand, that maintain integrity under extreme pressure. Proppants are inserted into underground fractures in oil and gas wells to "prop" open the fracture and increase productivity of the wells.

Saint-Gobain's Proppants division already operates two manufacturing facilities in Arkansas. One is a proppants manufacturing facility in Fort Smith — which was the world's first ceramic production plant, and which recently completed a $15 million expansion. The other Saint-Gobain Proppants facility is in Saline County and supplies materials used in the proppant manufacturing process.

"This investment is part of Saint-Gobain's global strategy to invest in new technologies for energy and the environment," says John Crowe, President and CEO of Saint-Gobain Corporation (Saint-Gobain's North American holding company). "The increasing global demand for affordable energy is creating greater activity among oil and gas drilling companies, whose need for proppants will exceed our ability to supply them from Fort Smith alone. Saline County is the perfect location because of its proximity to many of our major oil and gas customers, and because it allows us to access Arkansas' highly skilled workforce. We also have ample room for future expansion if needed."

Saint-Gobain expects to break ground for the new facility later this year, with product coming off the production line by the end of 2012.

"These additional good jobs for Saline County show Saint-Gobain's continued commitment to doing business in Arkansas," says Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. "This is another example of global investment finding success in our state. It is a further testament that quality companies can prosper in Arkansas regardless of where they call home."

"Today is a great day for the citizens of Saline County," says Saline County Judge Lanny Fite. "Thanks to the Governor's Office, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Saline County Economic Development Corporation for the hard work that went into bringing a world-class project to our area. Saint-Gobain is already a great local corporate citizen and we look forward to the company's continued presence in Saline County for many years."