Agility Fuel Systems has opened a new manufacturing plant in Salisbury, N.C., celebrating the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Agility Fuel Systems is a developer and manufacturer of natural gas fuel systems for heavy-duty vehicles in North America.

The 204,000 square-foot facility is a vertically integrated natural gas fuel system manufacturing plant, the first of its kind in North America, according to Agility. Over the next six months, Agility will transition its manufacturing footprint from Kelowna, Canada to the new plant. Kelowna will function as Agility’s Technical Engineering Center for the company.

“From the raw aluminum and steel for the frames and covers to the resin and carbon fiber for the cylinders, to installation onto the truck, Agility will now have complete control in one location over the quality, cost, and delivery of our natural gas fuel systems to our customers.” said William Nowicke, COO and interim CEO of Agility.

More than 300 guests attended the ribbon cutting ceremony include Agility CEO, Nowicke, Shawn Adelsberger, director of operations and plant manager, Paul Woodson, mayor of Salisbury, and Gregg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County board of commissioners.

“Salisbury is proud to partner with Agility Fuel Systems on this new facility, bringing jobs to our community and producing a clean technology product that has a positive environmental impact,” said Woodson.

The Salisbury plant capabilities will include:

• CNG Cylinder Production: In-house manufacturing of lighter and higher capacity cylinders

• Fabrication: Equipped with the latest Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) laser and metals fabrications technology to ensure exacting dimensional control guaranteeing the best quality

• Paint Shop: An automated paint shop with both powder and wet-coat capabilities to ensure the highest quality and finish consistent with truck and bus OEM requirements

• Assembly: Designed for maximum flexibility in assembling different fuel system configurations for a wide range of customer’s requirements and applications

• Installation: Multiple flow-through bays to maximize installation efficiency for a variety of vehicles and system configurations, with fueling capability onsite