Bridor plans to bring 87 new, high-paying jobs and invest nearly $229 million in rural Utah over the next 13 years, according to the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah).
The company commented, “As our existing manufacturing basis in North America currently is East Coast-centric, our Westward expansion was a strategy long in the making. Utah’s connectivity to major transportation routes, top-notch labor market, and proximity to diverse & rich agricultural products quickly elevated Utah to the top of our 5 State regional review. The strong local support of our project from early on from the robust offerings of support programs for a manufacturer entering the market helped Bridor visualize the road map of how to establish operations here.”
“As Utah continues to strengthen and diversify our industry sectors, food security and manufacturing have been particularly important,” said Ryan Starks, Executive Director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. “Bridor serves markets across the globe with a dedication to innovation, sustainability, and quality, and will certainly be an incredible addition to Utah.”
Bridor North America has four plants: two in Québec, Canada, and two on the U.S. East Coast. It employs around 1,200 people and is part of the global Groupe Le Duff. Group Le Duff had revenues of EUR 2.5 billion in 2023 between two main divisions: restaurants and industry. Groupe Le Duff has over 30,000 employees in 100 different countries and 10 production facilities.
“We’re pleased to welcome Bridor to the Brigham City Industrial Park, one of 14 development-ready properties certified by EDCUtah’s Site Ready Utah program,” said Scott Cuthbertson, President and CEO of EDCUtah. “Bridor will play an important role in bolstering Utah’s food security, and their decision to expand in Utah was made possible by the collaboration of many important partners.”
“Brigham City is excited to be the location of choice for Bridor,” said Dennis J. Bott, Mayor of Brigham City. “We have had extensive interaction and cooperation with the company and we are confident that it will be a great corporate citizen of both Brigham City and the State of Utah.”
“Bridor’s investment in the Golden Spike Project Area will advance the Port’s objectives in Brigham City by creating quality jobs and promoting sustainable development,” said Ben Hart, Executive Director with the Utah Inland Port Authority. “Their proven track record as a valuable corporate partner sets the stage for ongoing collaboration and prosperity in northern Utah.”
Lithium Extraction Operation In Salt Lake City
Another expansion into Utah comes from International Battery Metals Ltd. (IBAT), a company that announced its commencement of operations of its commercial proprietary modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant in Utah – an industry landmark representing the first lithium produced from the only modular DLE operation in the world and the first commercial DLE operation in North America.
The commercial facility outside Salt Lake City, Utah, is co-located at the operations of US Magnesium LLC (US Mag) and is extracting lithium from a byproduct magnesium chloride/ lithium chloride brine derived from historic magnesium production. IBAT’s modular DLE system, currently situated on about one-acre, is in production and providing lithium chloride to U.S. Mag. The next step for IBAT is to expand production by installing additional columns on the same DLE modular platform with a target of significantly increasing capacity.
“This achievement is momentous for IBAT and a harbinger for an industry-transformation to significantly boost lithium production on a more cost-effective and sustainable basis, clearing a path for supplies of lower-priced, high-quality lithium for EV batteries and large-scale grid backup battery installations,” said John Burba, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of IBAT. “This kicks off a U.S. lithium production renaissance and creates the potential for a sea change in global lithium supplies.”
This breakthrough is expected to reshape the lithium industry due to several advantages of IBAT’s patented technology, including speed to market, low cost, high-quality lithium, and sustainability.