Germany's Raumedic is opening a $27 million polymer manufacturing facility in Henderson County, NC, that is expected to provide more than 170 jobs to the region.
At least $10.6 million of the overall investment will be devoted to manufacturing medical device components, says the Asheville Citizen Times.
Among the products the company produces are high performance plastics known as fluoropolymers. They include coils, tubing and embedded X-ray stripes, according to the Raumedic website. The company also makes a wide array of plastic products for the pharmaceutical industry, including plastic needles and tubing for sterile sampling.
Henderson County is located in southwestern North Carolina, along the border of South Carolina.
Local leaders celebrated the announcment. Henderson County Chairman Tommy Thompson noted the jobs' wages, which will be above the county average of about $34,000, saying, "When companies consider coming to the area, we want to make sure that they will hire our people and make a product we are proud to say is 'Made in Henderson County'. In addition to meeting all of these expectations, Raumedic will have a significant employment impact, hiring 172 new positions over the next several years, and paying an average wage in excess of $55,000/year. This company will result in $9 million in new annual payroll that will ripple through our local economy."
The local ABC news affiliate reports that the plant will open by the end of the year.
- read the Asheville Citizen Times coverage
- here's more from the the local ABC affiliate