Briefings - Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Spartanburg
Area
CHAMBER FOCUS
Dräxlmaier Automotive of America Announces Expansion in
Spartanburg County More than $22 million investment expected to create 150 jobs
C
OLUMBIA, S.C. –
Gov. Nikki Haley,
the South Carolina Department of Commerce
and the Economic Futures Group of Spartanburg County recently announced that Dräxlmaier
Automotive of America
LLC, an affiliate of
the Dräxlmaier Group,
will expand its current
facility in Spartanburg
County. The $22.35
million investment is
expected to generate 150
new jobs over the next
five years.
“This investment will allow
Dräxlmaier to grow
and remain competitive,” said Stefan Bude,
chief financial officer
for Dräxlmaier Group,
North America region.
“It also shows our commitment to the Upstate
and South Carolina as
a long-term production
site.”
Dräxlmaier
will upgrade its facility, located at 1751 East
Main Street in Duncan,
to accommodate increased production. The
investment includes the
previously announced
addition of a $10 million, 64,500-square-foot
production building to
the existing facility, as
well as upgrades to the
plant infrastructure and
equipment. Last week,
Gov. Haley met with
executives at the Dräxlmaier headquarters in
Germany.
“We are on a
roll creating jobs for
the people of South
Carolina,” Gov. Haley
said. “Please join me
in thanking Dräxlmaier
Automotive of America
for their commitment to
the people of our great
state.”
“South Carolina’s automotive sector
continues to grow, and
this expansion an-
nouncement by Dräxlmaier is another indication of that fact. Our
state’s business-friendly
climate and skilled
workforce continue
to attract investment
and help our existing
businesses grow. We
appreciate Dräxlmaier’s
decision to continue
to do business in the
Palmetto State,” said
Bobby Hitt, Secretary of
Commerce.
The new production hall will expand
the plant’s capacity by
more than a third and
house state-of-the-art
equipment and cuttingedge technology for the
assembly of vehicle interiors and components,
including instrument
panels, center consoles
and door panels.
“We are extremely delighted that
Dräxlmaier has chosen
to expand their Duncan
facility. We are always
excited when existing
companies grow, verifying Spartanburg County
as an excellent location
to do business. We appreciate their continued
commitment to our corporate community and
their ongoing investment of operations and
job opportunities,” said
David Britt, chairman of
Economic Development
Committee of Spartanburg County Council
and board member of
the Economic Futures
Group.
A Tier I supplier to the international
automotive industry,
Dräxlmaier manufactures premium interiors
and plastic components
at its Duncan site, which
is also home to the
company’s U.S. headquarters. Built in 1998,
the facility has been
expanded twice since
then, the last time in
2005 when a new R&D
wing was added to the
existing building.
“Our Duncan
plant plays an important
strategic role for our
North America business,” said Karl Wallner,
board member of the
Germany-based Dräxlmaier Group. “The
expansion shows that
we are committed to a
steady growth in this
region. The well-trained
and highly-skilled workforce in South Carolina
will help us to design
and manufacture highquality products for the
international automotive
industry.”
“As the demand for our products
increases, this expansion
will help us meet the
needs of our customers and position us for
future growth,” Ulrich
Eichler, chief operating
officer for Dräxlmaier
Group, North America
region.
Construction
of the building addition has been underway
since early March and is
expected to be completed by mid-September. Local contractors
include Context Design
Group PLLC of Greenville, S.C.; MB Kahn
Construction Company
of Greenville, S.C.;
Paragon Engineering
& Geosciences LLC of
Greenville, S.C.; and
Collins Hammett Construction LLC of Greer,
S.C.
The company
will begin hiring for
the positions in July.
Anyone interested in job
opportunities with the
company should submit
his or her resume to
JDUN@draexlmaier.us
or contact Dräxlmaier
Corporate Recruiter Lisa
Alexander at alexander.
lisa@draexlmaier.us.
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Chamber Members: FREE • Non-Members: $20 per person
To register, visit the event calendar at www.spartanburgchamber.com
Upcoming Chamber
Events
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Spartanburg to Host North American Ethnic
Ministries Summit in 2012
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“AMI Kids: Separating a Troubled
Past from a Bright Future”
City Range Steakhouse
Wednesday, July 13th 12:00pm
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“Labor & Employment Law”
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“The Power of Email Marketing”
Spartanburg Chamber
Wednesday, July 20th 11:30am
For more information on these
and all Chamber events, visit our
event calendar at
www.spartanburgchamber.com.
T
he Spartanburg Convention and Visitors
Bureau (SCVB) proudly
announces Spartanburg as
host of the North American
Ethnic Ministries Summit on April 19-21, 2012.
The summit will be held at
Evangel Cathedral.
Ethnic America
Network (EAN) has sponsored the annual summit
since 2001, but the conference has always been held
in much bigger cities, with
major
league
sports
teams,”
according
to Dr. Jim
Goodroe,
co-chair
of the 2012 summit.
The 2010 summit
was held in Boston and
the summit will be held in
Chicago in 2013.
EAN, headquartered in Wheaton, IL at
the Billy Graham Center,
promotes cross-cultural
advancement of the gospel
and intercultural unity
in Jesus Christ. Summit
attendance is typically
two-thirds from the local
region and a third from
across the nation. This is
the first summit which has
had three years to prepare,
and a large multi-ethnic, interdenominational coalition
staffs its twenty task forces.
Conference organizers
expect over a thousand
registrations and over 3,000
in the evening services.
“We are excited
to have the opportunity to
host this event and be able
to showcase Spartanburg to
people from around the nation,” says Chris Jennings,
Executive Director of the
SCVB.
Summit evening
sessions at Evangel Cathedral are free & open to the
public. Plenary speakers for
these multi-ethnic worship
services are announced on
the summit Website (www.
interculturalnetworkcarolina.org). Friday & Saturday
daytime sessions, by paid
registration, include affinity
groups and four seminar
periods (choice of fifty topics).
For more information, email 2012summit@
bellsouth.net or call 864582-2564.
The Spartanburg
Convention & Visitors
Bureau (SCVB) is the official destination marketing
organization for the City
and County of Spartanburg,
South Carolina.