Gov. Bev Perdue announced that Schletter, Inc., one of the largest designers and manufacturers of solar power mounting systems, will establish a production and distribution facility in Shelby. The company plans to create 305 jobs in North Carolina by the end of 2016, and invest more than $27 million in its Cleveland County facility. The project was made possible in part by state grants from the Job Development Investment Grant and the One North Carolina Fund.
“Companies like Schletter recognize that North Carolina is a great place for businesses to thrive because of our top-notch business climate and incredibly well-trained workforce,” said Gov. Perdue. “We’re going to continue leveraging North Carolina’s tremendous assets as we keep working to expand jobs here.”
Schletter is an internationally recognized manufacturer of a diverse product mix including solar mounting systems for small to utility scale applications, waste management solutions, and customized bracket manufacturing. Since 2008 the company has been manufacturing its photovoltaic mounting systems in the U.S. Schletter, with its only U.S. production facility Arizona, currently supplies 25 percent of all solar mounting systems produced and delivered in the U.S.
“We’re excited to offer our customers improved delivery and service options by opening our second U.S. manufacturing facility and new U.S. corporate headquarters in Shelby, North Carolina,” stated Martin Hausner, President of Schletter Inc.
“The decision to locate a manufacturing facility in North Carolina was primarily based on providing improved services for our East Coast customers; faster delivery of our products, and reduced logistics costs,” added Ludwig Schletter, owner of the Schletter Corporation. “We will never lose sight of our goals which include remaining a competitive force in the market while providing the highest quality product.”
The new facility in Shelby, which will serve as the production and distribution hub of Schletter’s east coast operations, will house all functions required to produce the company’s eight types of solar mounting systems. In addition to the manufacturing operations, the Shelby location will become Schletter’s U.S. headquarters.
Compensation will vary by job function, but the average compensation for the new positions is expected to be $40,660 plus benefits. The average annual wage in Cleveland County is $32,760.
To help facilitate this location, the company has been awarded a grant of up to $630,000 from the state’s One North Carolina Fund. This fund assists the state in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects deemed by the governor to be vital to a healthy and growing state economy. One North Carolina Fund grants require a local match, and this grant is contingent upon approval of local incentives.
Today, the state Economic Investment Committee voted to award a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) to Schletter. JDIGs are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant.
Under the terms of JDIG, the company is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the nine years in which the company meets annual performance targets. If Schletter meets the targets called for under the agreement and sustains them for nine years, the JDIG could yield as much as $2.93 million in maximum benefits for the company.
Other partners who assisted with this announcement include: The N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, Gardner-Webb University, Isothermal Planning and Development Commission, Cleveland County, City of Shelby and the Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership.
For more information about Schletter, Inc., including job opportunities, visit www.schletter.us.