Mike Parker: Manufacturing explosion bodes well for Kinston and Lenoir County

When I returned home after being out of state for several weeks, I went through the accumulated papers my wife Sandra had stacked up for me. Most of these items went into the circular file.

But one particular printed news release caught my attention. That release announced that West Pharmaceutical Services will invest more than $70 million to expand its Kinston facility. I recalled that Amazon is also coming to Kinston and that Master Brand Cabinets also committed to expanding its facility and workforce in our area.

Just how much investment will businesses make in manufacturing facilities in Kinston and Lenoir County? I was astounded at what I discovered.

Let’s start with West Pharmaceutical Services. West Pharmaceutical employs more than 10,000 people in 50 sites around the world. The company is a leading provider of high-quality injectable solutions and services. The Kinston expansion will create more production capacity and more warehouse and distribution space. The growth also means an additional 70 jobs for our city and county residents.

 Amazon recently purchased a 77,160-square foot building in Lenoir County’s Industrial Park. According to Keely Koonce, vice president of Lenoir County economic development, this facility will serve as a Last Mile facility, which means products are dropped off by trucks and then vans distribute them to their final destination. Investment in the building alone is $1.7 million.

The number of jobs Amazon will bring to the area is unknown, but the company is already hiring. One job posting solicited warehouse positions with wages from $17 to $45 per hour. Amazon anticipates having operations up and running sometime this year.

MasterBrand Cabinets, one of the largest cabinet manufacturers in North America, will expand its operations in Lenoir County to create more than 450 jobs over five years. The company will invest more than $13.5 million to expand production capacity at its manufacturing center in Kinston.

MasterBrand, a subsidiary of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., manufactures and distributes a broad spectrum of cabinetry products. The company serves market segments that include stock cabinets, semi-custom and custom cabinetry, and vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other areas of the home. The company plans to significantly increase the site’s production capacity, with cabinets for kitchens making up the primary output for the expanded facility.

Another expansion is coming to Crown Equipment Corporation, a global lift truck manufacturer. The company plans to invest up to $13 million to expand its manufacturing operations in Kinston, adding more than 130 jobs.

 A performance-based grant of $400,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Crown Equipment’s expansion. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help them attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment from the grant.

 A newcomer has also committed to building a facility and hiring a workforce here. Grupporeco, a global manufacturer of household appliance components, plans to create 110 jobs in Lenoir County. The company has committed to investing $28 million to build its first manufacturing facility for dishwasher components in the United States. The company picked Kinston as its initial foray into North America.

Grupporeco has been a market leader in engineering and manufacturing household appliance components for nearly 60 years. Headquartered in Italy and based in Italy and Poland, the company produces and distributes coated dishwasher baskets, steel wire and tube components, aluminum tubing, and parts for major household appliance companies.

Grupporeco’s new subsidiary in Lenoir County, RECO U.S. Inc., will allow product development and manufacturing closer to its U.S. clients.

Let’s pause and take stock of the expansions announced in just the past year. These companies have committed to investing $126.2 million in Lenoir County. They project that they will provide more than 760 new jobs to area citizens.

 Those figures are worth celebrating.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.