Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Turbocoating SpA, a supplier of machining processes and coatings for the industrial gas turbine market, will locate a new production facility in Catawba County. The company plans to create 53 jobs and invest $15 million during the next three years and increase to 110 jobs after five years in Hickory. The project was made possible in part by a $110,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
“Creating jobs is my No. 1 priority,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “Today’s announcement delivers wonderful news to the people of Catawba County. It also delivers a response to those who want to cut our investments in education and economic development when those are the very policies that gave us the educated workforce and job recruiting tools that make job growth, like Turbocoating’s expansion, possible.”
Turbocoating, based in Italy, develops special processes and manufactures protective coatings for components used in Industrial Gas Turbines and Aero engines. The new Hickory facility will help the company serve the Siemens’ operations in Charlotte, one of Turbocoating’s major clients.
Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $56,377 plus benefits. The Catawba County average annual wage is $34,216.
“We are excited to start our new venture in North Carolina. We are confident in our choice for a number of reasons, in particular, the strong manufacturing and engineering presence in North Carolina’s companies and people,” said Turbocoating CEO Rudi Bakker. “We are looking forward to developing a company that North Carolina’s people can proudly say, ‘Turbocoating is a North Carolina company.’”
The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.
North Carolina continues to have a top-ranked business climate. Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state works aggressively to create jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.
Through use of the One NC Fund, more than 50,000 jobs and $9 billion in investment have been created since 2001. Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, Duke Energy, Catawba County Economic Development Corporation, the City of Hickory and Catawba County.
For more information about Turbocoating, visit www.turbocoating.com.