VILLE PLATTE, La. — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Cabot Corporation Senior Vice President Bart Kalkstein announced Cabot will make a $90 million capital investment to enhance the performance of its plant in Ville Platte, Louisiana. The facility manufactures carbon black, a key material that extends the life of tires and other rubber products.
With the investment, Cabot will create 15 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $73,000, plus benefits. This is in addition to Cabot’s existing 90 jobs at the site. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in another 47 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 60 new jobs in Evangeline Parish and the Acadiana Region. The project will generate over 380 construction jobs.
“Cabot has a proud history of manufacturing in Louisiana, having launched its Ville Platte operations 77 years ago to support our nation’s World War II effort,” Gov. Edwards said. “Just last year, Cabot earned one of Louisiana’s Lantern Awards as a top manufacturer in our state. We’re encouraged by Cabot’s steps to continue that great legacy by enhancing its efficiency, improving its environmental performance and modernizing its operations in Evangeline Parish.”
Natural gas reservoirs led Cabot to select Ville Platte for new manufacturing operations in 1943. Today, the company makes carbon black by converting byproduct stream from oil refineries into a solid granular form of carbon. Cabot ships its products by rail and bulk truck from Ville Platte to customers throughout North America. In a cohesive system, the new project will capture waste energy to create steam from an incineration process, remove impurities, and generate electricity to power site operations.