Fab-Con Machinery Development Corporation, a manufacturer of textile finishing equipment, will create 27 new jobs and invest $5.3 million to relocate its headquarters and manufacturing operation to Salisbury, N.C., Gov. Roy Cooper announced.
“When woven together, our state’s skilled workforce, quality of life and textile supply chain create a foundation of success for global manufacturers like this,” Cooper said.
Serving the knitwear industry for more than five decades, Fab-Con, currently based in Port Washington, N.Y., designs, builds and exports finishing machines for men’s, women’s and children’s sportswear, outerwear and underwear. Fab-Con has a global footprint that supports more than 200 customers in Asia, and North, South and Central America. This relocation will be the new home of the company’s global headquarters in a 90,000-square-foot facility, as well as its machine manufacturing, administration and sales operations.
“We are eager to start our manufacturing operations in North Carolina and we look forward to benefitting from the strong workforce,” said Chris Snyder, vice president of Fab-Con. “By relocating to North Carolina, Fab-Con will be more competitively positioned to operate at a lower cost. Several recently obtained U.S. and EU patents have given us a strong competitive advantage…both domestically and internationally. We appreciate the support of the economic developers and local and state officials for making this a reality.”
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The North Carolina Department of Commerce led a team of partners in supporting Fab-Con’s relocation to North Carolina. The new positions, including machinists and fabricators, have a combined average annual salary of $73,081, which exceeds the county’s overall annual wage of $48,360. Once filled, these new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.9 million for the community, officials said.
A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will support Fab-Con’s expansion. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
Joining the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina were key partners in the project that included the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Rowan County, Rowan Economic Development Council and the City of Salisbury.