A heavy equipment manufacturer will create a warehouse and distribution center near the Port of Wilmington.
SANY America, the U.S. subsidiary of the Beijing-based parent company, will launch operations in January at the Industrial Realty Group’s 532,427-square-foot facility.
SANY America estimates to create 50 jobs, which will ramp up over time, according to the announcement from Wilmington Business Development.
“SANY America is excited to be coming to the Wilmington area as part of our expansion in the North American market. The location near the port, capabilities of the facility and local community were all factors that exceeded our expectations and led to our selection of Wilmington Business Park,” says SANY America CEO Qingwei Xu, in a statement by Wilmington Business Development, which oversees economic recruitment for the city and New Hanover and Pender counties.
The legacy manufacturing facility, known as Wilmington Business Park, formerly housed Terex Cranes and Vertex Rail. SANY America has signed a long-term lease for the property, which includes 20 cranes, industrial-quality power, and internal and direct rail service.
Since 2015, the property has undergone upgrades that include new rail infrastructure and a blast, paint and cure booth. Upon occupancy, the project will be fully leased with some developable land still available on site. Colliers represented IRG in the transaction.
SANY America, a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held SANY Heavy Industry, focuses on research and development, production, sales and servicing of heavy industrial equipment. It supplies equipment through its own dealer partner network and supports a full line of construction, port and material handling equipment.
SANY America is headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia. SANY’s Beijing-based parent was founded in 1989 as a small welding company. It now employs a worldwide workforce of more than 26,000, and its 2022 sales topped $80 billion globally, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Among the factors that led SANY America to select the property were its infrastructure and amenities, including multi-modal industrial access and high-grade utility service. The site’s proximity to the Port of Wilmington, which is just 2 miles away, also attracted the company, which intends to be a user of the port, according to Wilmington Business Development.
“This announcement highlights the continued demand for near-port sites that support heavy industrial and heavy manufacturing companies like SANY America,” says Brian E. Clark, executive director, North Carolina State Ports Authority, in a release.