Vacant Haydale Ceramic Buildings in Greer Get New Life as $17.5M Composite Manufacturing Plant

GREER, S.C. — Two industrial buildings left empty since a ceramic maker’s bankruptcy last year are getting a second life, as an advanced materials manufacturer prepares to move in this month and bring 50 jobs with it.

United Composite Materials will take over a combined 73,000 square feet of manufacturing space at 1446 S. Buncombe Road, a property that formerly housed Haydale Ceramic Technologies before that company filed for bankruptcy and auctioned off its equipment last year, according to a report from the Post and Courier. The new tenant plans to invest $17.5 million converting the site into specialized production lines supplying advanced carbon composite material to the North American sports and leisure markets.

A fast turnaround for a vacant site

What stands out about the deal is the timeline. Rather than sitting on the market for years the way many single-purpose industrial buildings do after a tenant’s exit, the Buncombe Road property is expected to be back in production within months of Haydale’s closure, with United Composite Materials targeting a July start date, the Post and Courier reported.

“This investment reinforces Greer’s role as a hub for industrial innovation and long-term growth,” Greer Mayor Rick Danner said in a statement reported by the Post and Courier.

Greenville Area Development Corp. President and CEO Max Stewart said the project fits a broader pattern of advanced manufacturers choosing Greenville County for expansions. “This further positions Greenville County as an ideal place for advanced manufacturers to build and maintain their operations,” Stewart said, according to the Post and Courier.

Incentives tied to the property

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Greenville County a $250,000 Set-Aside grant to help cover building improvements at the site, and the state approved job development credits tied to the project, the Post and Courier reported. Greenville County Council has approved two of three required readings on a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement that would cut the company’s property tax rate by more than 40% over the next 30 years, and the county plans to layer on a special source credit covering 15% of the reduced tax burden for seven years.

“This investment highlights the collaborative environment we have built to support business growth and reinforces Greenville County’s importance to South Carolina’s economy,” County Council Chair Benton Blount said in comments reported by the Post and Courier.

Why it matters for industrial real estate

The deal is a case study in adaptive reuse within the Upstate’s tight industrial market, where purpose-built manufacturing space that goes dark can otherwise linger vacant for extended periods. For Greer, a city that has built its identity around advanced manufacturing near the BMW plant and Inland Port, filling a vacant facility with a new production tenant within roughly a year of the previous occupant’s exit keeps the local tax base and job count intact without requiring new ground-up construction.