Surmet Ceramics
Industry: Advanced Manufacturing
Jobs Created: 18
Capital Investment:$13,000,000
Incentives:
Empire State Development Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit award
New York Power Authority expansion/retention power allocation
Erie County IDA sales tax abatement
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Surmet is a Massachusetts-based advanced materials manufacturer with operations in Buffalo. The company produces high-tech transparent ceramic powders and coatings used in aerospace and defense applications. Surmet was investing in new technology and equipment in order to consolidate its forming and heat-treating capabilities into one location where it would produce transparent ceramic windows, lenses and armor. For this expansion of capabilities, space, and workforce, Surmet considered several options including Buffalo Niagara and at its headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts.
PROJECT SOLUTION:
Surmet was connected with Invest Buffalo Niagara (InBN) through National Grid. InBN acted as a project manager while Surmet pursued its expansion, communicating between company, state, county, utility, and real estate partners. InBN helped to coordinate incentives applications and approval processes to better improve the Buffalo Niagara business case.
InBN was widely praised by the Surmet team as being the “quarterback” they needed to make sure everyone knew what assistance was available, who was doing what applications, when applications needed to be completed by, and to whom they need to be submitted. The business case and smooth process convinced Surmet to commit to its expansion in Buffalo Niagara.
In the end the project management and incentives process took seven months from introduction to award approvals. The company was able to meet its proposed schedule to begin construction in August 2021. The construction project will create 3,500 sq. ft. of new production space to house $10 million in new equipment. In total, Surmet’s expansion project on Hertel Avenue project carries a $13 million capital expenditure will create 18 new jobs.