Venezuelan company opens aluminum plant in North Carolina.

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley has announced that Aludisc LLC will open a manufacturing facility in Sampson County, N.C.

The announcement was made possible in part by a $100,000 One North Carolina Fund grant.

Aludisc is a sister company of Alumino del Centro C.A. of Caracas, Venezuela. The company will produce aluminum discs for the aluminum containers industry at the North Carolina facility.

"After looking for more than two years in several states we realized that Clinton and Sampson County offered us the best location and facility for our new manufacturing company in the United States," Jorge Moch, one of the two principles of Aludisc, says. "Access to the Port of Wilmington, a good labor pool and the assistance of the officials of Sampson County, the city of Clinton and the Sampson County Economic Development Commission have greatly aided our efforts in the first phase of this project."

The One North Carolina Fund assists the state in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. One North Carolina Fund grants are contingent upon a local match. Through the use of this fund, more than 25,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in investment have been created since 2001.