Dhollandia MFG, a manufacturer of hydraulic lifts for trucks and other vehicles, will locate its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Bessemer City, North Carolina, a $30 million plant that will create 150 new jobs in Gaston County.
Dhollandia is a subsidiary of Hydrotec Engineering, Ltd., and its parent company Dhollandia NV, headquartered in Belgium. Dhollandia is a premium supplier of hydraulic lifting equipment and appliances. Dhollandia’s new U.S. plant will capture new opportunities in the growing North American market.
“We are very excited about this project and our intention is to make it the most modern factory in our group, with high-level technology and a training center for both internal training and training for end users,” said Lothar Burger, incoming chief executive officer for Dhollandia. “We very much look forward to start the project and we believe that North Carolina will prove to be a very supportive and reliable partner in the long-term relationship we would like to establish. We’re also looking forward to working with the local community and engaging with Gaston Community College to start an apprenticeship program.”
“We are very excited about this project and our intention is to make it the most modern factory in our group, with high-level technology and a training center for both internal training and training for end users.”
–Lothar Burger, incoming chief executive officer for Dhollandia MFG
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper welcomed Dhollandia. “International companies that supply the automotive industry recognize North Carolina’s many advantages for their businesses,” he said. “Dhollandia joins the many international companies already in North Carolina that supply parts and equipment to this important industry.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. (EDPNC) led the state’s support for the company’s expansion.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome another global company to our state,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. “Dhollandia reviewed many options for this new facility but in the end, North Carolina’s strong support for manufacturers and our commitment to education and workforce training made our state the clear choice.”
Dhollandia will hire people for a variety of job functions at the new site, including engineers, production workers and managers. The new positions in Gaston County will provide a payroll impact of more than $6 million each year to the local economy.
Dhollandia’s move into Gaston County will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project will grow the state’s economy by an estimated $223 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,461,600, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.
“Bessemer City and Gaston County welcome Dhollandia to our community,” said N.C. Senator Kathy Harrington. “We look forward to helping the company find the local resources they’ll need to grow their operations here for many years.”
Partnering with N.C. Commerce and the EDPNC on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Duke Energy, the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the City of Bessemer City, Gaston County, and the Gaston County Economic Development Commission.