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JR Automation Technologies LLC, a maker of automation equipment for the automotive, pharmaceutical, food and general industries, today announced plans to expand and locate its new sales, engineering and manufacturing facility in Pickens County. JR Automation is investing more than $2 million and is expected to create 54 new high-tech jobs over the next five years.
“We are very pleased to locate our new sales, engineering and manufacturing facility in South Carolina. We were very impressed with the business climate and the skill set of the local talent in Pickens County. This is a big step for our company and we appreciate all the support we’ve received from state and local officials,” said Scot Lindemann, vice president of JR Automation.
JR Automation, based in Holland, Mich., designs and manufacturers automation equipment used by a range of industries. The company will locate its new manufacturing facility at 1473 Walhalla Highway in Pickens. This will be the company’s first facility in South Carolina, and its first outside of Michigan. JR Automation sees this as an important step in increasing support our existing customer base, and is also excited about new opportunities in the manufacturing base in the southeastern United States, according to company officials.
“South Carolina continues to put its best foot forward and our recruitment efforts are paying off. We’re excited that JR Automation has chosen to locate new operations here and has committed to create over 50 well-paying jobs in our state,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.
JR Automation also plans to work closely with local businesses in supplying its needs. It plans to outsource about 30 percent of its work to local machine shops, metal fabricators and the like.
“Manufacturing plays a key role in our state’s economy, and we’re pleased to have JR Automation join that part of South Carolina’s business community,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce.
Since January, Commerce has announced the recruitment of more than $1.5 billion in capital investment and more than 5,000 new jobs from companies in the manufacturing sector.
“This is a tremendous win for the citizens of Pickens County. JR Automation was attracted to Pickens County for many reasons, including our business community, our metal shops and our highly skilled students from the Pickens County Career and Technology Center, the local high schools and Tri County Technical College. Our resources in Pickens County are great, and we are thrilled to share them with our businesses, and we welcome JR Automation to our business community,” said Pickens County Council Chairwoman Jennifer Willis.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the great folk at JR Automation through this process,” said Ronnie L. Booth, chairman of Alliance Pickens and president of Tri-County Technical College. “JR Automation is exactly the kind of business that we want to see in our community. They hire highly skilled individuals of the type that we are so proud to produce at the College and the Career Center. We look forward to a long-term relationship that enables the company to be successful and provides high paying jobs for our citizens.”
The company will begin hiring for the positions in the near future. Anyone interested in job opportunities in engineering and skilled manufacturing trades with the company should contact ReadySC.
The state of South Carolina provided training funds and job development credits, which will be available if hiring targets are met.
JR Automation Technologies LLC designs and builds solutions for efficiency and speed, customized for a company’s specific needs. Whether that means machines or process development, the JR team has a smart, lean solution to any challenging project. For more information about the company, please visit www.jrauto.com.
About S.C. Department of Commerce
As South Carolina’s leading economic development agency, the Department of Commerce works to recruit new businesses and help existing businesses grow. This year, Commerce won the Gold Shovel Award and the Deal of Year Award from Area Development magazine. Commerce has been part of recruiting world-class companies to South Carolina such as Boeing, Monster.com, Heinz, ZF Group, BMW and Google Inc. Commerce also supports small and existing business, rural development initiatives and offers grants for community development. For more information, visit www.SCcommerce.com.
