Superior Essex Communications announced it is making investment of $73 million in manufacturing capacity and equipment at its Brownwood, Texas, plant to meet global demand for OSP fiber optic cables, drop fiber and hybrid cables.

The proposed investment in plant expansion will create 170 new U.S. manufacturing jobs and support broadband buildouts nationwide to bring high-speed internet and 5G service.

The investment will improve manufacturing equipment and build an additional 90,000 square feet adjacent to the current Brownwood plant, expanding the facility to more than 500,000 total square feet of production. It will support new jobs as well as convert some existing jobs from legacy OSP copper cable manufacturing to focus on optical fiber cables.

The expansion also will incorporate green building practices – such as Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting and the use of repurposed equipment – and explore the use of solar and battery power sources for the plant.