The Top 11 South Carolina Department of Commerce Accomplishments from 2011

Source: SC Department of Commerce – December 30, 2011

1. Continental Tire the Americas – $500 million investment to generate 1,700 new jobs over the next 10 years.
2. TD Bank – $17 million investment creating 1,400 new jobs.
3. 5-STAR USA – investing $25 million and creating more than 1,000 jobs over the next five years.
4. Bridgestone – $1.2 billion investment, which will result in more than 850 new jobs.
5. Amazon – investing $25 million and creating 750 jobs.
6. Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation’s – $313 million investment to generate 707 new jobs.
7. TIGHITCO Inc.- $30 million investment that will generate 350 new jobs.
8. ZF Group – investing an additional $80 million and adding 300 new jobs.
9. Bosch Rexroth Corporation – $80 million investment and creating 160 new jobs over the next five years.
10. Gestamp South Carolina – investing $51 million and creating 100 new jobs.
11. BMW added a $100 million investment and committed to create 100 new jobs.

ZF Group Announces Expansion in Laurens County

COLUMBIA, S.C. – September 7, 2011 – The ZF Group, a supplier to the automotive industry, will expand its operations in Laurens County. The $80 million investment is expected to generate 300 new jobs.

“ZF is pleased to make this announcement and is excited about the opportunities it represents for the resurging North American market,” said Dr. Ludger Reckmann, CEO of ZF Transmissions LLC. “As ZF plays a stronger role in delivering efficiency-enhancing products for North America, the encouraging climate and strong resources in South Carolina help make us more competitive.”   ZF Group will expand operations in Laurens County due to an increase in demand from the automotive market. This expansion is an addition to the new manufacturing operations announced in July 2010 in Laurens County. At the time, the company announced a $350 million investment and 900 new jobs.

“We celebrate ZF’s decision to create 300 more jobs at the company’s Laurens County facility. This facility will be a game changer for one of our state’s rural counties. It also shows we are doing the right things to spur economic development,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.  Automotive continues to be a leading sector in South Carolina. Commerce has been involved in recruiting more than $400 million in investment and more than 800 jobs in the automotive-related sector since the beginning of the year.

“ZF’s decision to expand on its previous investment is a big win for South Carolina and bolsters our automotive sector. In fact, this is the sixth automotive announcement we’ve had in the past two months,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce.

“The relationship between Laurens County and ZF has been outstanding,” said Laurens County Council chairman Jim Coleman. “We are very excited about the new expansion and look forward to a continued excellent relationship with the company.  Ted Nash, council member for District One added, “ZF has already been a great addition to our community and it continues to get better.”  The state offered a $500,000 grant for site improvements and readySC™ training funds.

ZF is currently hiring for positions as they are needed. Anyone interested in job opportunities with the company should contact Human Technologies Inc at www.htijobs.com .  ZF is a leading worldwide automotive supplier for Driveline and Chassis Technology, with 123 production locations in 27 countries. On the ranking list of automotive suppliers, ZF is ranked among the 10 largest automotive suppliers worldwide.  For more information, visit www.zf.com.

 

Proterra Paves Way for Growth With $30M Investment

Company to Ramp Production of Fast Charge Battery Electric Transit Buses and Charging Stations

Golden, Colorado – June 13, 2011 – Proterra Inc (www.proterra.com), a leading maker of zero-emission commercial transit solutions, today announced an investment of $30 million to accelerate the commercialization of its world-leading, fast-charge battery electric transit buses and automated bus charging system. The investment is being led by Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), and also includes GM Ventures, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Vision Ridge Partners and 88 Green Ventures, LLC.

“Our goal at Proterra is to fundamentally transform urban transit,” said Jeff Granato, President of Proterra, “The tremendous resources of Kleiner Perkins, leveraged with GM’s automotive expertise and the financial and technical strength of Mitsui, Vision Ridge and 88 Green Ventures gives us an enviable platform to compete and win in the electric transit bus market.”

Proterra’s 35 foot (10 meter) EcoRide BE35™ bus, in daily service at Foothill Transit in Pomona, CA since last September, will be rolling out to VIA Transit in San Antonio and Tallahassee StarMetro later this year. The whisper-quiet, emissions-free bus of tomorrow is completely recharged in under 10 minutes with Proterra’s FastFillTM charging station resulting in a 1 for 1 replacement of diesel buses in service on routes today. Proterra’s lightweight, composite-body bus is a major advance in the transit industry, meeting the stated 2030 goals set by the Federal Transit Agency (FTA) for advanced technology buses nearly 20 years ahead of schedule. Providing significant operating cost savings for its customers, the EcoRide is averaging close to 24 miles per gallon (diesel equivalent) in service, a more than 600% improvement over a typical diesel bus, which averages under 4 miles per gallon, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel cost savings.

“Electrification of public transportation has tremendous benefits to governments, municipalities and citizens by reducing the operating cost of transit, while also eliminating local air pollution and reducing C02 per passenger mile in the industry,” said Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President and Partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

This investment enables Proterra to complete critical federal validation testing of its bus, roll out additional pilot fleets and complete initiatives to significantly reduce costs and increase volume production at its Greenville, South Carolina manufacturing plant, which will have a capacity to produce 400 buses annually. The bus has more than 80% U.S. content from 33 states, and will create approximately 2,400 jobs nationwide by 2015 across Proterra and its supplier network.

Proterra has also strengthened its board by electing a manufacturing industry veteran, David Lehmann, as its new chairman. Mr. Lehmann is a seasoned multinational business executive. He has conducted business in 28 countries for firms such as General Electric Co., Solar Turbines Inc., a subsidiary of Caterpillar.” Michael Linse, a partner at KPCB, has also joined the board.

About Proterra Inc.
Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, Proterra is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty electric drive systems, energy storage systems, vehicle control systems, transit buses and fast charging stations. Proterra’s systems are scalable to all forms of commercial buses. Its ground up designs have led to the EcoRide BE-35, the world’s full size 10 minute charge transit bus that replaces conventional diesel buses on a one-for-one basis operating 24/7. Paired with the EcoRide BE-35 is Proterra’s proprietary FastFill™ charging station that docks the bus automatically and fast charges through a rooftop connection. The EcoRide BE-35 achieves between 24 miles per gallon diesel fuel equivalent fully loaded with 68 passengers – 600% better than a comparable diesel bus. For more information on Proterra and its technology please visit: www.proterra.com

Media Contact:
Suraya Akbarzad
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