Electrolux plans to invest $26.8 million to expand its dishwashing manufacturing capacities in a move that will add 74 jobs in Kinston over the next two years, according to a release from the state.
Stockholm-based Electrolux has been in Kinston for more than 35 years, and the company has its U.S. headquarters in Charlotte. In Kinston, the company will add approximately 28,000 square feet to its existing 470,122-square-foot facility. The project will increase production capacity, improve operational efficiency and allow the company to produce new dishwashers that meet evolving customer standards. Electrolux opened its Kinston operations in 1989.
The new jobs will pay an annual average wage of $48,807, in line with the current average wage of $48,683 in Lenoir County, located about 35 miles south of Greenville. Electrolux already employs more than 500 in Kinston. The company has 9,000 workers in North America and more than 41,000 globally. Electrolux Group North America had $4.3 billion in sales last year.
The expansion shows Electrolux has confidence in the people it has in Lenoir County, says Trey Cash, director of Economic Development for Greene and Lenoir Counties.
“When a company that has called Lenoir County home for generations chooses to invest again, it reaffirms that this is a place where business can grow and families can thrive,” says Cash. “This project keeps good jobs here, strengthens our manufacturing base, and reminds us that progress comes when partnerships and purpose align.”
A performance-based grant of $200,000 from the One North Carolina fund will help with the company’s expansion in Kinston. Lenoir County Commissioners approved local incentives totaling $262,896. New tax revenue generated by the expansion is expected to exceed the local incentive amount, Cash says.
On Wednesday, Ontario, Canada-based Cardon Rehabilitation and Medical Equipment announced it would invest $4 million and create 20 jobs in Kinston to establish its U.S. headquarters in Lenoir County.
Cardon manufactures therapy tables and equipment for healthcare settings and will move into a 62,485-square-foot building at 4114 Berkeley Ave. that has been vacant for several years.