Just off of U.S. Highway 51 on the south side of Du Quoin, sits a cable manufacturing plant that’s quietly been helping power some of the largest cities and states in the United States for decades. Prysmian, the world’s largest cable manufacturer, took over the Du Quoin plant from General Cable in 2018. Now, the company is making a major investment in Du Quoin, to the tune of $63.8 million to expand production, add employees, and ensure the plant’s future in Southern Illinois.
“The ongoing expansion project is the largest economic investment in Du Quoin in decades,” said Du Quoin mayor Josh Downs. “It represents an unparalleled commitment to the city by Prysmian and we couldn’t be more thankful. We know that the good paying jobs at the facility are just what our city, and all of Perry County, needs to thrive in the long term. We are grateful to partner with Prysmian to continue to move their facility, and Du Quoin, forward for years to come.”
In Du Quoin, Prysmian manufactures insulated medium voltage transmission cable, with some of the biggest customers being large cities such as Chicago, New York, and Detroit. These cables transmit energy underground and inside factories conserving power by decreasing the amount of line lost during transmission. More recently, the cable is also used for wind and solar applications and are key components of underground substation and distribution systems. The Du Quoin plant also produces a component part for some solar collection systems along with a cable that delivers electricity to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and homes being modernized for energy and grid efficiency.
“The product made in Du Quoin plays a critical part in electrical distribution across North America,” explained Prysmian Du Quoin plant manager Erik Perks. “With this expansion we look forward to expanding our role in the future with grid modernization, changing demands required to support EV’s and clean energy generation and distribution.”
The Du Quoin facility just completed a $4.7 million project to increase the plant's incremental capacity. Now, set to be completed in 2025, a larger expansion project is ongoing, which includes adding 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and hiring 80 additional employees, bringing the total to around 300. For those who have lived in, or traveled through, Du Quoin, the plant will look entirely different once the expansion project is completed. This expansion will have a direct, indirect, and induced economic impact totaling more than $40 million per year in Du Quoin and the surrounding communities.
The State of Illinois stepped up in a big way with the Reimaging Energy and Vehicles Act (REV Illinois). REV Illinois is an incentive program to bolster Illinois manufacturing in the clean energy economy, created to attract companies all along the supply chain in the electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors. Depending on project size, benefits of the program can last from twenty to thirty years, and include provisions to retain income tax withholding, exemptions on utilities taxes, training credits and grants, and equipment/capital cost exemptions. REV Illinois has been instrumental in several projects in Southern Illinois to bring additional jobs and investment to the region. In total, Prysmian received around $17 million in state and local incentives.
“The plant in Du Quoin has been here for 59 years and this is the largest single investment we have received,” said Perks. “We look forward to growing the team and continuing to contribute to the community, town and region. We appreciate the incentive support we got from our partners at the state and local level.”
Illinois is leading the way with competitive state incentives to bolster existing companies and attract new ones. Companies, such as Prysmian have long known that Southern Illinois is a great place to do business, but others are quickly catching on. The region is gaining notoriety for its centralized location, world class transportation network, and workforce training programs. Southern Illinois has often been a “hidden gem”, but the future is bright as companies look to expand their operations to get closer to their customers and cut down on costs and supply chain disruptions.