Japanese company opening a plant in Lee County, filling 109 jobs

A Japanese company that provides heat treatment to make engine parts, electronics and and other equipment more durable announced on Tuesday it will open a plant in Lee County and hire 109 workers.

Dowa Thermotech made the announcement in Sanford at an event that included state and local commerce and political figures.

“I hear that North Carolina has been chosen as the easiest state to live at all times and it is truly our honor to build our new factory in this, a wonderful state,” Ryuji Tsuji, president of Dowa Thermotech, said, according to a statement provided by Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration. “We dream of building a great factory in this area with your support.”

N.C. Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland said the firm was a welcome addition to the number of Japanese companies that have set up shot in this state.

Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. helped land the deal, according to the news release.

Average wages will be about $35,000, the company said.

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The company, which has its headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, plans to invest $22.5 million in Sanford, according to a release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. Its payroll is expected to reach $3.8 million annually.

If it meets hiring and investment goals, Thermotech will receive a $220,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund and a matching grant from local governments. Under that program, companies don’t receive funding until they have met job and capital investment targets.

Dowa designs, constructs, installs and maintains furnaces, and it owns surface treatment facilities, according to the company’s website. In Sanford, it plans to serve clients in the automotive and industrial machinery supply chains, according to the state’s press release.

The company is a subsidiary of Dowa Holdings Co., a global enterprise in a variety of sectors, including environmental management, recycling and metal processing.

This story was originally published August 28, 2018 at 10:57 AM.