Lenovo, the world’s second-largest PC vendor, hosted a grand opening ceremony attended by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and other prominent local dignitaries at its first U.S. personal computer production facility in Whitsett, N.C.
With the return of PC manufacturing to the U.S., the company is adding 115 new manufacturing jobs in North Carolina and is on track to fully ramp up production by the end of June. Lenovo’s bold move to develop the long-term strength of the American PC market defies the decades-old trend of US electronics firms relying on overseas facilities for manufacturing and other outsourced functions. The 240,000-square-foot Whitsett facility, located approximately 10 miles east of Greensboro, serves four critical business functions: Logistics Center, Customer Solutions Center, National Returns Center, and now U.S. Manufacturing Production.
The new U.S. PC manufacturing line began operations in January 2013, and is capable of producing some of Lenovo’s newest and most innovative Think-branded products, including ThinkCentre M92p Tiny desktop, ThinkPad Tablet 2, ThinkPad Helix convertible ultrabook and more. The new manufacturing line arms Lenovo with the capability to deliver products to customers with even greater efficiency and reliability, in addition to offering an expanded and more valuable set of PC-related services, including custom product configurations, imaging, asset tagging, bundling of products, and more.
Governor Pat McCrory, and other elected officials were on site to participate in Lenovo’s announcement to foster job growth in North Carolina and witness firsthand the company’s investment in its aggressive strategy to expand its in-house manufacturing capabilities around the world through its first U.S. PC production line. Currently, Lenovo’s operations are estimated to positively increase state output by more than $1 billion, as reported by the recent economic contribution analysis from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Lenovo plans to continue its focus on driving product innovation, investing in the U.S. market and supporting business growth in North Carolina now and in the future.
To further celebrate and mark the continued growth of the company’s U.S. PC manufacturing line and its presence in North Carolina, Lenovo donated and presented 36 ThinkCentre Desktops made in Whitsett to the Greensboro YMCA to be used for youth development and education programs.
"Lenovo has achieved record growth and market share in the U.S. PC market, and the Whitsett manufacturing facility will enable us to further expand our presence here,” said Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO, Lenovo. “The facility is a demonstration of our commitment to and confidence in the North American market, and we see tremendous opportunities for the continued growth and development of our manufacturing footprint here in the United States.”
“Our in-house manufacturing strategy gives us control over both product development and supply chain operations. This type of vertical integration is a source of competitive advantage for Lenovo. With the PC manufacturing facility in the U.S., we are able to provide an enhanced customer experience by offering specialized services that our North America customers value,” said Gerry Smith, the former head of Lenovo’s Global Supply Chain and now president, Lenovo Americas.
“I am proud that Lenovo is continuing to invest in North Carolina, bringing needed jobs to the Greensboro area and providing a foundation for future economic growth in our state,” said Governor Pat McCrory. “Lenovo has been producing innovative and exciting products around the world and now they are in North Carolina’s backyard and we’re fortunate to have them.”
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US34 billion personal technology company – one of the top two PC makers in the world and an emerging PC Plus leader – serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile Internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo, a global Fortune 500 company, has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.