A former General Motors plant will be converted into a digital infrastructure manufacturing facility.

SLB announced plans to open a manufacturing facility in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, at the former General Motors assembly plant. This new facility will capitalise on the global technology company’s skills in contract manufacturing, system integration, and digital infrastructure equipment industrialization.

Over the following three years, the company’s $18.5 million investment is estimated to generate 596 new direct employment with an annual payroll of more than $50 million. According to Louisiana Economic Development, the project will create 749 new indirect jobs, for a total of 1,345 new jobs in the Northwest Region.
“It’s difficult to put into words how much the former GM plant means to the people of northwest Louisiana,” stated Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Bringing it back into commerce with new manufacturing jobs in a new sector is a historic milestone for economic growth, diversification, and job creation in our state.”

SLB inked a seven-year lease agreement with Shreveport Business Park earlier this month to restore and occupy 1 million square feet of the former GM factory, which has been idle since 2012. In the next weeks, recruitment for almost 600 new roles will commence. The upgrades to the Antoine Boulevard facility are expected to be completed early next year. It is expected that production would reach full capacity by the end of 2026.

To secure the project in Shreveport, the state of Louisiana provided SLB with a competitive incentive package that included LED FastStart’s comprehensive workforce development solutions and a $4.5 million performance-based grant for building and infrastructure improvements if investment and employment targets were met. The enterprise will be a part of the state’s Quality Jobs programme.