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East Flat Rock lands plant with 50 jobs

Partnership for Economic Development chair Adam Shealy (right) presents a painting to Tobias Holderried as Cornel Broenner (left) looks on.

EAST FLAT ROCK —Two years from now, any new BMA or Tesla on the road in America will be sporting an emblem on its hood, trunk lid and wheel hub made in East Flat Rock.

Demmel Inc., the US subsidiary of Demmel AG, a German-based leader in industrial design and identity technology, announced today that it will build a manufacturing plant in East Flat Rock at the old fairgrounds property next to the Elkamet plant.

The 130-year-old Bavarian company was asked by their customers, South Carolina-based BMW and California based-Tesla Motors, to supply their products locally from a North American location. 50 new jobs will be created over 5 years, and $4 million will be invested in the new building and equipment. Positions will include assembly technicians, manufacturing engineers, material handlers and others, with hiring slated to begin in summer of 2016.

 

“We are happy to continue to serve key customers in the North American market with a new strategic location in Henderson County, North Carolina,” said Tobias Holderried, Managing Director of Demmel AG. “Our new home affords access to a qualified and productive workforce, a strong existing presence of automotive component manufacturers in plastics and metals, and easy access to our customers. Henderson County has great similarities to our home in the mountains of Bavaria, where we have built long-lasting relationships over many generations.”

"We are pleased to welcome Demmel Inc. as the newest corporate citizen to Henderson County," said Tommy Thompson, Chairman of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. "Demmel’s products showcase their command of manufacturing in an artistic way, and we will take great pride as these globally-recognized components are made in Henderson County. We all look forward to Demmel’s positive impact on our economy and community.”

“Henderson County has a heritage in metals and plastics production in the automotive sector, as well as a strong history of attracting German and other European companies,” said Adam Shealy, Chair of the HCPED Board of Directors. “We look forward to seeing their success in our community, and we welcome Demmel Inc. to western North Carolina.”

Successful recruitment projects are born from collaboration, and this project would not have been possible without the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Henderson County, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the North Carolina Community College System and Blue Ridge Community College. To learn more about Demmel AG, visit www.demmel.de. For more information about the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development and its role in protecting and building a strong local economy, visit www.strategiclocation.com.

Demmel's announcement came hours after the Henderson County Board of Commissioners endorsed an agreement to sell the company industrial land and grant incentives worth $100,000 over seven years.

Henderson County agreed to sell 6½ acres of the 17-acre county-owned fairgrounds site for $275,000. The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development said last month that the company was considering building a $2.4 million plant with $1.6 million in manufacturing equipment for an operation that would employ 50 workers at an average salary of $35,500 plus benefits, which is above the county average for factory jobs.
Commissioner Bill Lapsley, a civil engineer who served on the board of the Partnership for Economic Development for eight years, praised the deal.

“This particular piece of property has been a focal point for Henderson County for as long as I’ve lived here, 40 years, and it's been at least 20 years since it’s been so-called on the market,” he said. “It was considered for a school site. We tried to sell it. I think this is a red letter occasion that here we finally have a prospect that’s going to purchase a portion of it. I think it’s significant to note. It’s taken a long long time to sell this property for industrial development and I applaud Andrew (Tate) and their whole team for what they’ve done.”