Clean-energy Hanwha Advanced Materials to bring 160 jobs to Cartersville

ATLANTA — Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia Inc. (HAGA), a manufacturer of lightweight advanced materials for sustainable technology, will create more than 160 new jobs in the city of Cartersville. The company will invest an estimated $147 million in a new manufacturing facility to supply the Qcells facility in Cartersville.

“Georgia is leading the nation in attracting next-generation jobs,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a news release. “Since we first welcomed Qcells to our state in 2018, we’ve announced more than 4,000 related jobs for hard-working Georgians. We’re proud that Hanwha Advanced Materials is adding to that growing number as it becomes a valued member of the Bartow County community.”

Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia,Inc. is a subsidiary of Hanwha Group and will supply Qcells with encapsulant film. These materials are used in solar cells to ensure long-term panel durability. HAGA will be the only company in the United States manufacturing solar encapsulants.

“The products we make are an important piece of the clean energy supply chain puzzle, and we are excited to meet this need,” Inhwan Kim, CEO of Hanwha Advanced Materials, said. “Building our cutting-edge, advanced materials in Georgia will not only create new careers in solar but help bring more affordable, reliable clean energy to customers across the country.”

“Qcells is doubling down on building a complete, domestic solar supply chain, and this recent investment is critical to making that happen,” HG Park, president of Qcells North America, said. “Working with Hanwha Advanced Materials, our customers will soon be able to confidently know that the solar they buy from us was made right here in America.”

HAGA will construct a new manufacturing facility located at Highland 75 Corporate/Industrial Park, a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development-certified site in the city of Cartersville. The facility is predicted to come online in summer 2024. The company will hire engineers and line operators. Interested individuals can learn more about working at HAGA by visiting www.hwam.co.kr.

“Our community is thrilled to be adding another Hanwha affiliate to our growing family of industries,” Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini said. “Their investment in bringing quality jobs to our community is greatly appreciated. Our mix of industries in Cartersville and Bartow County is further diversified by adding them to our local mix, and one of our goals from the beginning was to recruit world-class companies to our area. This helps accomplish this goal.

“It is also important to note that this is another clean-energy company coming to our community, illustrating the growth and importance of that market.”

Project Manager Jacob Lee represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority, Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation and Georgia Quick Start.

“Hanwha Advanced Materials provides key components for the solar supply chain in Georgia, supporting our state’s commitment to making energy solutions more affordable to businesses and consumers,” GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson said. “Over the past five years, clean-tech jobs have been one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors in Georgia. We are excited that Hanwha Advanced Materials will add another crucial part of the solar supply chain to Georgia’s already robust ecosystem.”

To reduce supply-chain barriers to the growth of the solar industry, companies like Qcells are dedicated to building a comprehensive solar value chain in the U.S. In January Qcells announced it would expand its solar panel production capacity in Georgia to 8.4 gigawatts, 3.3 gigawatts of which will be manufactured at the Bartow County facility by 2024.

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