An international company with its US headquarters located in New Hampshire celebrated its new 7,600-square-foot manufacturing facility yesterday (4/17).
Madeira USA celebrates its expansion in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.
German-based Madeira, an embroidery thread manufacturing company marking its 100th anniversary this year, is bringing winding operations to Laconia, the headquarters of Medeira USA for 35 years.
“As we have grown over the past three and a half decades, so have the industry and our customers,” said Shirley Clark, president of Madeira USA. “The need to deliver thread quickly and expediently is necessary to help the large contract embroidery companies maintain their constant workflow. Our ability to provide them with our hottest commodity – black and white 100 percent polyester embroidery thread – will keep production purring and improve our ability to support our high volume customers.”
Will Arvelo, director of the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, which worked with the company on its expansion plans, said New Hampshire is a strategic location for Madeira USA to be responsive to its key domestic and global markets. He added that the company is “literally, and figuratively, a strong thread in the fabric of the Lakes Region business community.”
The new facility, according to manufacturing operations manager Roy Wirth, houses a 20-head winding machine, a shrink wrapper and laser writer.
“I suspect that our ability to turn out thousands of black and white, 5,500-yard thread cones will have a very positive affect on those customers who have come to expect quick and quality service from Madeira USA,” he said.
Foxx Life Sciences CEO Tom Taylor, left; Commissioner Caswell
A manufacturer that has doubled in size over the past year is looking to expand again, its CEO said last week during a visit with Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell.
Foxx Life Sciences, a world-leader in custom, single use bottle, flask and carboy bioprocess assemblies for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, is ready to max out on its 55,000 square-feet it’s been operating in since 2014. CEO Tom Taylor said he needs to expand the company into at least 100,000 square-feet in the next two years, to meet its ambitious goal of $100 million in sales in the next decade.
“Clearly, I want that to be in New Hampshire,” Taylor told Caswell. “Strategically, this is the best place in the world for us.”
Since 2014, Foxx has grown from five employees to over 50, supplying some of the world’s most recognizable names in biotech/medtech. This company, Caswell said, is part of the state’s fast growing life sciences sector, complementing the work of others in the industry, while earning an international reputation for its innovative products.
“This is exactly the kind of company that can be established in New Hampshire and join some world class companies, like Lonza,” Caswell said. “Boston, and its significant life sciences sector, is just 30 miles away, but there are clear advantages to doing business here, not the least is our business friendly climate.”
Caswell said his team at Business and Economic Affairs will work with Taylor on his needs for expansion and connecting him with other companies within the state’s life sciences sector.
The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs, the City of Manchester, and the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority are pleased to announce expansion plans by one of New Hampshire’s largest employers and leader in its aerospace and defense industry.
BAE Systems is finalizing plans to occupy 3000 Goffs Falls Rd. to expand its operations. The 220,000-sf site, located off Brown Avenue, with close access to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and Interstates 93 and 293, will enable the company to attract the talent it needs to initially fill 400 high-paying positions. The Manchester Mayor and Board of Aldermen will consider details on the proposed expansion.
“This is a great example of how working quickly and creatively with the business community can yield impressive results,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “No income or sales tax, great schools, incredible natural beauty, ease of access to urban centers and a vibrant and dynamic workforce all contribute to there really being no better place to live, work and raise a family. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively to meet the needs BAE Systems expansion efforts and bring more job opportunities to Granite Staters.”
Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, said a collaborative effort with BAE Systems, the City of Manchester and the Business Finance Authority supported the needs of the company in making the decision to expand.
“There is no way we would have reached this point without deep collaboration among teams from our department, the City of Manchester, and the NH Business Finance Authority,” said Caswell. “Our ability to work as a team to help employers meet expansion or relocation goals is critical to what we offer as a state.”
The City of Manchester will continue its support of BAE Systems’ expansion, said Mayor Joyce Craig.
“I’m thrilled BAE Systems has chosen to expand here in Manchester,” she said. “Manchester is the economic hub for the state. This is the first time the City of Manchester, the Department of Business and Economic Affairs and the Business Finance Authority have worked together to bring new, good paying jobs into the Queen City. We now have a successful model, and I look forward to continue promoting Manchester’s pro-business environment.”
The New Hampshire Business Finance Authority understands the significance of BAE Systems to the state’s growing aerospace and defense industry, said Executive Director James Key Wallace.
“This partnership with BAE provides an exciting opportunity for Manchester and all of the communities supported by BAE’s significant presence in the state. Our innovative and collaborative approach to structuring this expansion shows that New Hampshire is able to attract world class companies who create high quality jobs,” he said.
Norwegian-based AutoStore Systems celebrates the opening of its U.S. headquarters in Derry this week.
Increased growth in its North American market has led a Norwegian-based company to establish its U.S. headquarters in Derry and this week, AutoStore System celebrated the expansion with a grand opening.
AutoStore is a high-density cube storage system.
AutoStore is a high-density cube storage system, consisting of five standard modules: Robot, port or workstation, grid, bin, and controller. The robots drive on the top of the grid to access inventory store in the bins below. The bins are retrieved, put away and delivered to ports or workstations as requested.
“Due to the continued increase in activity in the North American market, we felt the only decision was to open an office close to this market,” said Paul Roy, managing director – North America.
The new 20,000-square-foot facility, at 3 Corporate Park Dr., will house a U.S.- based team to support the North American market and showcase a fully operational AutoStore grid. The facility will also store spare parts for faster deliveries, as well as offer customer service support, training programs and sales support.
“Having a fully operational grid with eight robots in our Derry facility will allow us to not only store and retrieve our own parts for delivery to our NA partners but also provide a realistic demonstration and training environment for potential customers and partners needing all levels of training,” Roy said.
POS is the leader in cleanroom laundry services, which is important to industries such as aerospace and life sciences that need 21st century cleanliness in their processes.
Prudential Cleanroom Services, a world leader in cleanroom laundry service systems, celebrated the opening of its Nashua cleanroom laundry processing facility, an event bringing together state and local dignitaries, as well as the employees.
NH Economic Development Director Will Arvelo
“We are very pleased to welcome Prudential Cleanroom Services to Nashua,” said Will Arvelo, director of the Division of Economic Development. “The capabilities it provides are vital to the many companies whose advanced manufacturing processes require high tech industrial laundry services. We look forward to watching them grow and prosper in New Hampshire.”
PCS is a division of California-based Prudential Overall Supply. When the company went looking for a loction to expand, Nashua quickly became an obvious choice because of its location and infrastructure. Cynthia Harrington, business development manager at DED, assisted the company with its expansion.
The company is building a 131,371-square-foot commercial laundry facility at 45 Simon St., on a 14-acre tract. Prudential completed the first of three phases; building a one-story 70,000 square foot facility, which includes offices, industrial space, employee areas and loading docks with 136 parking spaces on site for staff.
The next phase will be followed by a 45,000-square-foot section and, the last phase will be a 16,280-square-foot addition.
“This facility now provides over 85 well-paying jobs for the greater Nashua community, and provides our customers with world class cleanroom laundry services throughout the Northeast,” said Stefan Schurter, Prudential’s senior vice president commented at the ceremony,
Today, Governor Chris Sununu and Commissioner Taylor Caswell announced that Revision Military, a multinational company with locations across the globe is choosing Portsmouth as its United States Headquarters.
Revision Military, a world leader in military and tactical solutions and protective equipment, will open its new offices at Pease International Tradeport. The New Hampshire location will become Revision’s US Headquarters and Center of Excellence, steering product research, as well as the development and manufacturing of the company’s most advanced products.
“Revision Military was the first company I met with after being elected governor, and today’s announcement is a testament to our pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda,” Sununu said. “As an acclaimed international company, their expansion into the Granite State – which will serve as their US Headquarters – proves that New Hampshire is open for business once again. Revision designs and manufactures state of the art military hardware that keeps our troops safe, and we are proud they will call New Hampshire home.”
By expanding to New Hampshire, Revision will improve access to its military customer base in the Greater Boston area, as well as along the Eastern Seaboard, and will be better positioned to work collaboratively with local academic institutions, such as the University of New Hampshire, and a significant number of locally based partners and suppliers.
“New Hampshire’s business climate and hyper-focus on economic development is paying dividends every day,” said Commissioner Taylor Caswell. “Precision manufacturers like Revision are expanding and coming here for our quality workforce, low taxes, and business-friendly approach. These things don’t happen by accident.”
“Revision’s expansion to New Hampshire deepens the company’s already-well-founded commitment to US based operations and manufacturing,” said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO, Revision Military. “Moreover, this future location represents a bold but necessary next step forward for the company—indicative of both Revision’s ever-widening vision for innovation in soldier systems and tactical solutions. It is also essential in order to effectively house the full breadth of the company’s growing capabilities. We are very excited to initiate this new chapter for the company and we have started to put together a world-class team. Revision has evolved significantly over the last 17 years and this upcoming investment in a prime location makes our intentions clear: We expect to accelerate our growth and capabilities for the foreseeable future, and in the coming months and years we will be looking to hire dozens of the very best engineers, technicians, manufacturing experts and program managers available in the area in order to further develop our vision and service our customers.”
Revision has already hired the first group of New Hampshire management-level employees. Together they will spearhead the development of new facilities, new capabilities and implement near-term strategy based on Revision’s current slate of projects, contracts, and in-progress bids. This founding group of New Hampshire-based employees includes Chief Technology Officer Chris Palmer, who will oversee the team and report directly to Blanshay.
The announcement of the expansion in New Hampshire comes just over two years after Revision last opened a new facility in Bristol, UK. This new venture also builds on considerable recent investments made by the company to upgrade its facilities in the U.S. and Canada, particularly the relocation and upgrading of the Montreal hub for industrial design and R&D to a modern, centrally-located office, as well as an aggressive expansion project in Newport, Vt.—the company’s main armor and helmet manufacturing facility—completed last year.
Across seven facilities, Revision has established state-of-the-art, vertically integrated operations—from industry-leading sales and customer service, to world-class branding and marketing, to forward-thinking business and product development, and beyond. Revision has built a substantial international reputation on the strength of cutting-edge high-volume manufacturing, advanced R&D, and testing laboratories. The Company is ISO 9001-2008 certified and employs over 400 people. With this new location, Revision joins, and will contribute to, a vibrant New Hampshire economy with the high-skilled workforce the company needs to continue to deliver best-in-class soldier system technology.
About Revision
Revision develops and delivers purpose-built protective soldier equipment for military use worldwide. The company, which began with eyewear, has expanded to face, head and torso protection as well as energy storage and power management products, continues to develop innovative capabilities for integrated, performance-enhancing soldier systems. To that end, Revision brings together the most advanced expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and finest technical minds. Privately owned and ISO 9001:2008 certified, Revision’s operational headquarters is located in Essex Junction, Vermont, USA, with additional offices in Montreal, Canada, The UK, and Luxembourg.
Governor Chris Sununu and State officials confirmed today that Lonza Biologics, Inc. will move forward with the expansion of its Portsmouth facility, adding up to 1,000 jobs and up to one million square-feet of space. The company currently employs 800 at the facility, which focuses on contract manufacturing.
“We are thrilled that Lonza will be making a major additional investment in New Hampshire and adding more jobs to our local economy,” said Governor Sununu. “This decision by Lonza is a great testament to New Hampshire’s business friendly environment and the skill and commitment of our workforce. I look forward to working closely with our state team and Lonza officials to see this expansion through to completion.”
“Lonza is already a valued member of the New Hampshire business community,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “This additional investment will create a more than 40-acre campus for the company and reinforces the vitality of the life sciences sector here in New Hampshire.”
The Governor’s office and the Department of Business and Economic Affairs collaborated with many State and local partners including the Department of Environmental Services, the Business Finance Authority, the City of Portsmouth, and the Pease Development Authority to pitch New Hampshire as a prime location for Lonza’s expansion plans.
Leading Semiconductor Company To Expand In Manchester
Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, a leader in developing high-performance power and sensor semiconductors, broke ground on a 15,000-square foot expansion at its Manchester facility on Dec. 19.
The building expansion will support Allegro’s ongoing growth and investment in research and development, as well as reinforce the location as the company’s center of strategic business development.
“Allegro will continue to strengthen its investment in its technical talent and focus on high growth technological segments,” said Allegro President and Chief Executive Officer, Ravi Vig.
“Our ability to attract and retain skilled, high-tech talent to our Manchester facility will allow us to further invest in this prime location.”
Allegro’s facility is conveniently located minutes from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport; close to leading New Hampshire and Massachusetts research universities, and within a one hour of the Seacoast, mountains, lakes, and urban environments like downtown Manchester and Boston, making it an attractive location for existing and prospective employees.
Allegro’s focus on advanced technology, product line expansion and innovation fits well with the business platform provided in New Hampshire.
“The Governor and I are fully committed to working with local companies to help them grow their business and attract talent,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “We are pleased that Allegro has chosen to invest in the Manchester area, and we look forward to their employees enjoying the revitalized mill yards, SNHU Arena, and other benefits of downtown.”
Allegro’s building expansion was designed by Margulies Perruzzi Architects and is being built by Hutter Construction Corp., with completion planned for next summer. Allegro will employ abut 400 people at its Manchester site, many of them engineers.
Pierre Harvey, Harvey International, left; Steve Malenfant, founder and CEO, Inter USA Industrial Group
A Quebec businessman chose northern New Hampshire to launch his new company, which he expects to grow over the next few years to include up to 50 employees.
Steve Malenfant, CEO and founder of Groupe Industriel Interprovincial Inc. of Magog, QC, led the ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 26 for his new venture, Inter USA Industrial Group, in Littleton.
The company offers a service, providing teams trained for industrial equipment installation, planned machine maintenance, relocation, re-shoring and outage/shutdown services to a variety of industries such as pulp and paper; wood processing; rubber and plastics; steel and metal; food processing, and more.
The company’s success is based on its mission of helping clients and the guiding principle of building the trust that is essential between the client’s inhouse teams and the teams from Inter USA. Inter-USA’s employees go through a thorough technical program before working on job sites, Malenfont said, “to make sure our employees are the best millwrights available and that they are skilled at developing strong relationships with our client’s inhouse teams.
Ribbon cutting of Inter USA Industrial Group in Littleton.
Founded in 2003, its Quebec counterpart employs more than 140 employees and the long term plan for the new US-based company is to hire and train between 25 and 50 employees in Littleton, most of them millwrights, engineering technicians and welders.
“We chose northern New Hampshire because we know that labor is available and because of the close proximity to sawmills, pulp and paper, steel and metal fabricators,” Malenfant said. “We will hire locally and pair the US employees with experienced Quebec millwrights from our head office until they are trained and have integrated the Inter USA business model. We will train them so that they can take over and start doing jobs quickly in New England.”
Beno Lamontagne and Michael Bergeron of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs first connected with the company at a dinner in Quebec hosted by the Division of Economic Development several years ago. Over that time, they worked with Malenfant to help him with his real estate search, obtaining visas, the hiring process and business incorporation.
New Hampshire Economic Development was able to tout its open for business sign last month to manufacturers and business owners from around the world at two trade shows – MD&M East in New York City, targeting medical device and manufacturing interests, and the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC, focusing on foreign direct investment.
Joined by colleagues Michael Bergeron, senior business development manager, at MD&M and Tina Kasim, program manager at our Office of International Commerce, at SelectUSA, I met with scores of people at both trade shows keen on hearing our message about the state’s business friendly climate, educated workforce, robust industry sectors and quality of life. A great opportunity to not only answer their questions, but to ask some of our own, encourage a visit and follow-up with information they need, such as available real estate.
Trade shows are a dynamic, if not efficient, way, to meet and have conversations with business leaders who are considering business expansion or relocation. Often, conversations plant the seeds for long term relationships for future growth opportunities. Followup is the key to our work at these events, keeping in touch with contacts so that when they are ready to further explore options, they will consider New Hampshire.
At MD&M, where we also met with attendees at simultaneous trade shows at the Javits Center for plastics, packaging and design manufacturing, some of the people with whom we spoke were focused on seeking manufacturers, suppliers and services contacts to develop relationships. Some were pleasantly surprised to see New Hampshire represented at the event and asked about our industry sectors.
At the SelectUSA show, we spoke with international investors and business owners exploring oportunities within the US, including locations for distribution and warehousing and investing in established companies, especially in the fields of bio-med and medical device manufacturing with an established workforce. We also met with foreign officials and consultants representing companies seeking to establish relationships with businesses in the US for distribution, investment and partnering.
Our message at these trade shows is New Hampshire’s business friendly climate. When we tell people we have no sales, personal income, estate, use, internet, capital gains or professional service taxes, they are surprised and intrigued – what we don’t have is definitely a conversation starter.
For others, it is our booth that draws them over to talk with us. Featuring a stunning lakeside image, it prompts people to take a time out from the busy show. They stare at the lake and share with us memories of going to camp here in the summer, family vacations and even business trips.
When decision makers can’t come to New Hampshire, trade shows are a great way to bring New Hampshire to them.
