Vienna-based rubber products firm Semperit is to set up an Americas headquarters and factory in Newnan, investing $9 million and hiring 70 people in production, sales, customer service and more.
The Austrian parent firm Semperit AG Holding makes conveyor belts, rubber hoses, escalator handrails and other products in the industrial, construction and medical sectors, exporting to more than 100 countries. The company boasts a nearly 200-year history and previously operated its U.S. headquarters in Stone Mountain.
The new factory will be located at 755 Coweta Industrial Parkway within an existing 150,000-square-foot building certified by the state through the Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (or GRAD) program. It will include production lines for “façade seals, window gaskets, road and bridge expansion joints among other sealing components,” the company said in a news release.
Consolidating the Stone Mountain operation in Coweta will lead to cost savings and better service for customers throughout the Americas ahead of what the company views as a coming spending spree in the infrastructure and construction sectors in the Americas.
“Customer intimacy is one of Semperit’s strategic guiding principles. With our commitment and investments in a market-oriented approach, stronger focus on applications, and faster product development, we want to drive growth in North and South America,” said Martin Füllenbach, CEO of Semperit AG Holding.
Irene Coughlin, Semperit managing director for the Americas, looked forward to tapping into logistical efficiencies and executing on what she called a more focused regional strategy.
“We are ecstatic about the new Americas headquarters and manufacturing facility and look forward to producing our industrial rubber products for various industries and customers across North and South America,” she said in a release from the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Semperit planned and scouted sites for a year before landing in Georgia, where its factory will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy in line with the company’s sustainability commitments.
Newnan prides itself on its small-town feel, blended with convenient access to Interstate 85, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and other amenities, said Coweta County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Blackburn in a separate release from the state.
“We are thrilled that Semperit chose Coweta County as its Americas headquarters,” Mr. Blackburn said in a news release.
Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson chalked the investment up to Georgia’s competitiveness and international relationships.
“Georgia has long been a hub for both the logistics and life sciences industries. As Semperit continues to grow its footprint around the world, I am confident that Georgia will prove a natural fit,” Mr. Wilson said.
The state is home to an honorary consulate of Austria, as well as a local team member handling business development for the New York office of the Austrian Trade Commission, or AdvantageAustria.
A nation of just 9 million people, Austria nonetheless a key investor in Georgia through companies like Glock, voestalpine and other manufacturers. An Austria-based firm in 2018 purchased fast-growing Atlanta software firm QASymphony.
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