Cedar Rapids' Genencor plant becomes part of DuPont Industrial Biosciences

It's long been official. But now a sign says it's so.

The Genencor bioproducts manufacturing plant at 1000 41st Avenue Dr. SW in Cedar Rapids formally became DuPont Industrial Biosciences back in May 2011 when Genencor's corporate parent, Denmark-based Danisco, was acquired by Delaware-based DuPont for $6.49 billion.

Analysts believed that one of the main reasons DuPont bought Danisco was to obtain the Genencor division.

Genencor in 2008 formed a $140 million joint venture with DuPont to develop second-generation ethanol. The Cedar Rapids plant, which opened in 1991, manufactures industrial enzymes used to manufacture biofuels and for food, animal nutrition and fabric and household care products.

New signs were installed several weeks at the plant identifying it as part of DuPont Industrial Biosciences, which is involved with animal nutrition, biofuels, food, detergents, textiles, carpets and personal care.

The Cedar Rapids facility includes a $4.4 million grain processing applied innovation center, which develops products and refines manufacturing processes.

In 2012, Danisco invested $67.4 million in a second-phase expansion of production at the Cedar Rapids plant. The state of Iowa approved $500,000 in direct financial assistance from the Grow Iowa Values Financial Assistance Program and Enterprise Zone tax incentives.

The expansion will create  33 jobs supported by the state financial incentives, according to documents submitted to the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board, predecessor of the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board.

Mike Felton, operations manager at DuPont Industrial Biosciences in Cedar Rapids, said the expansion project is on schedule.

"We're pretty much on track to add to our capacity for existing and new products," Felton said. "DuPont is really commited to industrial biosciences. We're relatively new to DuPont, but it has a large presence in Iowa with Pioneer Hi-Bred."

DuPont broke ground Nov. 30 for a $200 million commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Nevada, Iowa. When fully operational in mid-2014, the plant will produce 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year from corn stover residues, which is composed of corn stalks and leaves.

DuPont plans to license the biorefinery's integrated end-to-end production system globally. The company has been processing switchgrass into cellulosic ethanol at a testing facility near Knoxville that it jointly owns with the University of Tennessee.