Nanomaterial manufacturer XG Sciences to expand with facility in Vevay Township

VEVAY TOWNSHIP — Nanomaterial manufacturer XG Sciences, Inc. plans to invest millions in expanding its Lansing-area facilities. 

The company will start operating out of new 64,000 square-foot facility in Vevay Township in March. The move, which includes more than $15 million in investment in tools and equipment, will add 76 jobs over a three-year period. 

“We hope that’s conservative," said Scott Murray, vice president of operations for XG Sciences, at an event announcing the expansion on Wednesday. "We hope it’s quicker than that, but that's dictated by our business' growth."

The company converts graphite, a form of carbon, into graphene nanoplatelets. Graphene is among the strongest materials in the world, known for its ability to conduct both heat and electricity.

Murray said the area's skilled workforce and the Lansing Economic Area Partnership's willingness work to with the company factored into the decision to expand in the Lansing area. 

“Everybody can build a machine, but it's the people that run the machine that make a difference," he said.  "So the community is important."

With its high-tech products, XG Sciences is a company that any local economy would want to recruit, said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of LEAP. 

“Companies watch what one another are doing, and so XG Sciences is sending a great signal about our region today around the country," Tresize said. "Companies might take a look at us because they’re seeing what XG Sciences (is doing)."

Former XG Sciences CEO Mike Knox formed the company in 2006 based on the work of an Michigan State University researcher. The company's technology can be used in automotive batteries and as wire coatings in electronics to prevent microchips from overheating.

Some of the material has been used in Samsung phones as a thermally conductive adhesive, said current CEO Philip Rose. 

Rose said the expansion marks the first phase in a move toward larger scale commercialization for the company.

"This is really representing change in terms of our capability to produce much larger tonnage," he said. 

XG Sciences moved into its Delhi Township headquarters in spring 2012. Their new facility at 4215 Legion Drive in Vevay Township is about two times the size of the Delhi plant. 

The company's decision to move to Vevay Township will increase property values and could attract more people to live in the area, said Township Supervisor Jesse Ramey.

“It adds to our tax base," he said. "It adds to the credibility of the township to bring in other businesses.”

XG Sciences will receive a five-year, 50% tax abatement on new property taxes from the township, Ramey said. The company also has been awarded a $520,000 performance-based grant through the Michigan Business Development Program. 

Two other local manufacturing firms announced similar expansions last month.

Aerospace and medical device manufacturer Tecoment plans to invest $14.5 million over the next three to five years to expand and upgrade its Lansing facilities.

Cintas Corporation, a company that provides specialized services to businesses, plans to invest $17 million to expand its facilities in Delta Township. 

Contact reporter Haley Hansen at (517) 267-1344 or hhansen@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @halehansen.