Alcon expands in Georgia

An expansion of Alcon’s Johns creek campus couldn’t come soon enough according to this week’s Atlanta Business Chronicle.  When Alcon acquired CIBA Vision last year, it moved 100 high paying corporate jobs to the company’s headquarters in Fort Worth, TX.

Now Alcon could invest $200 million in the North Fulton campus.  That’s where it conducts research, makes and distributes contact lenses.  The expansion could generate engineering and manufacturing positions.  Atlanta doesn’t have the deal sealed just yet.  Alcon, which is owned by Switzerland based Novartis, could also expand in Texas or Asia.

But analysts say recent expansions by other large companies bode well for Georgia’s chances.  Last month, Caterpillar announced plans to move some production from Japan to Georgia to be closer to customers.  Alcono is expected to make a decision in the next 3 months.