Hart Co. Lands German Company

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Hart County attracts a German company that will bring with it hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in investment.

LINDE + WIEMANN announced Tuesday it is planning to locate its first U.S. plant in the Gateway II Industrial Park in Hart County.

Linde + Wiemann is a privately-held, mid-sized German company specializing in the manufacturing and assembly of engineered steel systems mounted in motor vehicles, such as instrument panel assemblies, front end and door structure assemblies, and structural body-in-white assemblies.

Hart County Administrator Jon Caime said the company plans to build a 60,000 square foot facility on the corner of the Gateway II Industrial Park and Highway 77.

Construction will also include a 3,500 square foot front office headquarters.

From the proposed facility, LINDE + WIEMANN will be supplying a number of customers, including BMW in Greer, South Carolina and Daimler in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

In a press release issued Tuesday by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the company’s first facility will initially employ approximately 200 people and represent a capital investment more than $35 million dollars.

Hart County Industrial Building Authority Director Dwayne Dye said word of the deal with Linde + Wiemann is another shot in the arm for the area’s economy.

Dye went on to say the company expects to move quickly to get its Hart County operation up and running.

Linde + Wiemann’s CEO says the company searched extensively over several months to find the right location for its first U.S. plant.

Compnay officials say they found an excellent location in Hart County that offered qualified labor, attractive logistics as well as reasonable operating costs and a good quality of life.

This is the third German manufacturer to locate in Gateway II.

In 2008, the Ritz Company built its first U.S.-based plant there and has since expanded that operation and then last year, German auto parts manufacturer Haring Corp. announced plans to build its first plant in Hart County.

Caime says Haring plans to begin construction of their 196,000 square foot building in Gateway II the first part of this year.