Leaders tout jobs of the future at new Detroit glass plant
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the new LuxWall plant to open next year. Photo: Annalise Frank/Axios
Government officials are hailing a new plant in Detroit's Delray neighborhood as a model for aligning good jobs with green industry.
Why it matters: A 276,000-square-foot glass manufacturing facility for Ypsilanti-based LuxWall opens next year, with a goal of employing at least 50% Detroit residents for its 277 jobs.
- A massive part of the city's strategy for tackling poverty is bringing in new accessible, livable wage jobs.
State of play: LuxWall touts energy efficiency solutions with its innovative vacuum-insulating glass technology, which is five times more insulating than double-paned glass.
- The company says the technology reduces the huge amount of energy lost through buildings' windows. But the glass is still thin enough to fit in existing window frames for simple retrofitting of older buildings.
Between the lines: LuxWall's jobs start at $24 an hour, and the company is promoting weekly pay, on-the-job training, local high school internship programs and non-pollutive manufacturing.
What they're saying: "These are the kind of jobs that for way too many years passed Detroit by," Mayor Mike Duggan said during a press conference Tuesday.
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added: "Securing advanced projects like this one will grow our economy, it will support our local workforce, it will lower energy costs and help us reclaim air, land and water."
Context: The Detroit at Work program — which links residents with job preparedness training and careers — has been successful in screening and sending along applicants in industries such as manufacturing, Duggan told reporters.
- Between 12 and 15 manufacturing sites in Detroit source employees through the program, Duggan estimated.
- LuxWall will be added to that list, and it has a signed agreement to collaborate with Detroit at Work on hiring.
Zoom in: LuxWall's facility is at the former Sakthi automotive campus, which the supplier closed in 2019 amid financial distress.
- Billionaire real estate mogul Dan Gilbert's Bedrock bought the property in 2020. Now, its tenants also include LM Manufacturing and Diversified Synergies.
What's next: LuxWall CEO Scott Thomsen expects the plant to open late next year and take about six months to ramp up to its total workforce.
- LuxWall's $31.7 million manufacturing grant from the Department of Energy was recently canceled by President Trump's administration. The company is appealing, Thomsen says, noting the cancellation could delay expansion or ramping speed but won't risk the Detroit project.