Some wind power jobs are coming back By Chris Madison (AWEA)

Some of the newly hired employees were recalled from layoffs, the company said.

“The restart of the second furnace at Lexington helps position PPG to support increasing demand for fiber glass as the economy returns,” said Kevin McDonald, PPG general manager for fiber glass reinforcements in the Americas and Europe.

It’s worth noting that these jobs are in North Carolina, not a big wind energy state. Imagine what a national renewable energy standard (RES) would do to stimulate even more jobs.

www.awea.org/blog/

PPG restarts fiber glass furnance in North Carolina

PPG Industries’ (NYSE:PPG) fiber glass business announced it has restarted a furnace at its facility in Lexington, N.C. The furnace was restarted to support increased demand, particularly in the wind energy and filtration markets, and it is expected to restore about 21,000 metric tons of annual capacity at the plant.

“The restart of the second furnace at Lexington helps position PPG to support increasing demand for fiber glass as the economy returns,” said Kevin McDonald, PPG general manager, fiber glass reinforcements, Americas and Europe. “This action demonstrates PPG’s commitment to the fiber glass industry and to manufacturing products that meet customers’ needs in various markets.”

The Lexington plant has added 180 employees to support the furnace restart, some of which were recalled from layoffs.

Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2009 were $12.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG).

www.ppg.com/en/Pages/default.aspx