French Power Products Producer Holds Grand Opening in Gwinnett, Advancing Plans to Hire 300 

French company Socomec held a grand opening in Wednesday on a Suwanee facility the electrical component provider says will eventually employ 300 people. 

Socomec, which has 4,800 employees around the world and notches more than $1 billion in revenues, is the latest French company to set down roots in Gwinnett County, home to the French-American Chamber of Commerce and a variety of French firms in biotech, logistics and beyond. 

The $10 million investment in the facility, located at 2935 Shawnee Industrial Way, was first announced in November in a news release circulated by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office. Socomec is occupying a portion of a large industrial warehouse that also counts one of its channel sales partners, Wesco, as a tenant. 

“Socomec’s investment reflects the strength of Gwinnett’s workforce and our ability to support global industry leaders,” Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said in a news release. “The creation of 300 jobs and continued investment in advanced manufacturing reinforces our commitment to economic growth and opportunity for our residents.”

The ribbon-cutting was attended by local leaders and dignitaries including Socomec’s visiting CEO, Michel Krumenacker, as well as French Consul General Anne-Laure Desjonqueres and Michele Putignano, president and CEO of Socomec North America. Attendees toured the facility after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Socomec has begun hiring for manufacturing, power systems and quality engineers, among other positions. 

Kevin Carmichael, senior vice president of Partnership Gwinnett, put the number of French companies in the county at 24, noting that they collectively account for more than 1,000 jobs. 

“Socomec’s impact in Gwinnett powerfully reinforces our standing as a global hub for business growth, talent and community,” Mr. Carmichael said in a news release. 

The French-American Chamber also weighed in on the occasion in a LinkedIn post welcoming the company’s expansion in the community. 

“Moments like these truly showcase the strength and dynamism of the French-American economic relationship — right here in Georgia,” the chamber noted. 

Socomec’s wide array of product offerings includes power components that help create redundancy and reduce downtime in data centers, which are experiencing a boom across the U.S. and especially in Georgia as artificial intelligence use heats up.