Governor Ralph Northam was in Danville Thursday where he announced that a manufacturing plant is investing $8 million to locate it first U.S. precision sheet metal fabrication plant in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County.
Harlow Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom-based company that will establish a U.S. Training Center of Excellence, a new facility with a focus on additive manufacturing, which will be located in the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority-owned Cyber Park.
Virginia successfully competed against Alabama for this project, which will create 49 new jobs.
"With its pipeline of skilled talent and unmatched infrastructure, Southern Virginia has once again attracted a leading international manufacturer, and we are thrilled to welcome Harlow Group to this region’s impressive corporate roster," said Governor Northam. "By locating its first U.S. manufacturing facility in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, the company will add 49 new jobs to an existing manufacturing labor force of nearly 18,000. Southern Virginia maintains a legacy of success in this industry, and we are confident that Harlow Group will flourish from its new home in the region."
Harlow Group offers a wide variety of services ranging from product design to the full production of engineered metal products.
The company’s customer base includes such industry-leaders as GE, Pitney Bowes, Raytheon Safran, Sony, BF Goodrich, and Lotus.
"Harlow Group’s decision to establish its first U.S. manufacturing plant and state-of-the-art training center in Southern Virginia is a major vote of confidence in this thriving region and the Commonwealth," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. "At the new facility in the Danville-Pittsylvania Cyber Park, the company’s production and training activities will benefit from close proximity to valuable partners such as the Institute for Advanced Learning and Technology and the Regional Center for Applied Technology and Training. There is no better place for an industry-leading manufacturer such as Harlow Group, and we look forward to the company’s future success in Virginia."
Harlow Group has chosen Virginia as the site of its first U.S. manufacturing plant in order to accommodate its projected growth and will also invest heavily in the development of a state-of-the-art training center.
"After a two-year process looking at a number of alternative possibilities to expand into the U.S., we are delighted to finally conclude our decision to invest in Danville, Virginia," said Harlow Group CEO and Founder Alan Pearce. "Virginians have been amongst the most welcoming and friendly people and their appetite to make things work and overcome obstacles is second to none. The inspirational leadership of Troy Simpson has made the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research a world-leading education and technology center, producing highly motivated and capable students and stands as a beacon to the rest of the world to emulate. The ambition of Virginia to embrace new technology and invest in the future will keep the Commonwealth as the number one destination for expansion and business investment, and we are extremely proud to be associated with Danville and the Commonwealth of Virginia."
Governor Northam approved a $147,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County with the project.
The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $315,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.
Harlow Group is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.