By Michael Futch
Staff writer (Fayetteville Observer, Fayetteville, NC)
Laurinburg, N.C. - FCC North Carolina LLC, a manufacturer of automotive and
all-terrain-vehicle components, plans to expand its operations in Scotland County, Gov. Bev Perdue's office said
Monday.
The
company expects to create 66 jobs and invest more than $57 million over the
next three years in Laurinburg.
"My
goodness, 66 jobs is phenomenal. That's great," said Brenda Gilbert,
interim president of the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce.
"You know what our unemployment is. The company is tried and true and been
in Scotland
for a while, so that even makes it better. That's significant."
Scotland County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 17.6 percent
in June. The state's unemployment rate remained at 9.4 percent.
The
company's salaries will vary by job, but the average annual payroll for the new
jobs will be more than $1.8 million plus benefits, according to the governor's
office.
FCC
opened the Scotland
County plant in
Laurinburg in 2001. More than 140 people are now employed at the facility.
The plant
manufactures clutches for small cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles,
along with ATV differential components, automotive transmission components and
automotive differential components.
"This
is a wonderful company," Gilbert said. "They've been great corporate
partners in the Scotland
County area."
FCC North
Carolina is owned by FCC North America Inc., which falls under the ownership of
FCC Co. Ltd. Japan.
The
project was made possible in part by a $264,000 grant from the One North
Carolina Fund, which provides incentives to attract business projects. The
grants require and are contingent upon local matches.
"My
top priority is creating jobs," Perdue said in a news release.
"Manufacturers know our job training programs are world-class, and that
our highly skilled workers and top-notch business climate help them to thrive
in a globally competitive market."
Staff writer Michael Futch can
be reached at futchm@fayobserver.com or (910) 486-3529.
