Another auto-parts maker plans to expand its North Carolina operations, as the state's beaten-up manufacturing sector continues to heal slowly.
Gates Corp. will add 58 jobs at its Ashe County facility over the next three years, Gov. Bev Perdue announced Tuesday morning. The Jefferson plant already employs 265 people who make auto and industrial belts.
The jobs will pay average annual salaries of $24,723, less than the average of $27,508 in Ashe County, about 200 miles northwest of Raleigh.
On Monday, Perdue's office announced that Eaton Corp. will expand its auto-parts factory in Roxboro and add 120 jobs over four years.
While North Carolina has never succeeded in attracting a major auto factory, it is home to a wide range of auto-parts manufacturers, including AW in Durham.
Gates Corp. will receive a state grant worth as much as $100,000 if it meets hiring and investment goals. Founded in 1911, the company is one of the world's largest makers of belts and hoses for the automotive and other industries.
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