Avon reflective material manufacturer Orafol Americas opened a 50,000-square-foot, energy-efficient addition, as part of a $90 million program expected to create nearly 100 jobs.
Orafol, whose parent is based in Germany, provides a variety of reflective materials for traffic devices, vehicles, and high-visibility work gear.
The $90 million expansion will add a total of 125,000 square feet to the company’s American headquarters in Avon, designed to make the company the major brand in graphics, tapes and reflective materials by 2020, said Randall Mertz, chief executive of Orafol Americas.
The 50,000-square-foot addition opened in May is the first phase of that expansion. By 2020, the company wants the expansion to add 98 jobs and bring its total employment in Avon to 248. The firm has added 10 jobs in the past month.
The overhaul also includes a new lighting system for the entire facility and a redesign of the building’s heating and ventilation system. For this part of the work, Orafol received $740,000 in incentives from the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund.