When Denmark-based Kamstrup arrived in Georgia a little over a decade ago, it employed just four people selling its smart water meters to utilities around the U.S.
But a grand opening of its new headquarters in Cumming Thursday — attracting an array of dignitaries sharing a catered fried-chicken lunch with the company’s customers, employees and distributors — shows how even the smallest of international investments can blossom into significant job creators with the right support.
“It doesn’t matter to us where a company is headquartered, whether around the United States or around the world. If they have a facility that is in our state, we’re going to treat them like a Georgia-based company. And that is what we’ll do not only today, but also as you grow into the future,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in remarks to nearly 200 guests who dined under a tent set up beneath a clear blue sky.
Along with an assembly plant with significant space to spare, the 150,000-square-foot new facility at the Forsyth Commerce Center includes a warehouse, innovation showroom and pristine new offices with a stylish break room.
Four times bigger than its current location in Roswell, the expansion will enable the doubling of production to more than 3 million smart meters annually in the next five years.
“This really represents the future of Kamstrup,” said global CEO Søren Kvorning, who outlined how a small company from a nation of 5 million, founded nearly 80 years ago, is taking on a competitive market in the largest economy in the world.
“We see this only as the start of our ambitions in North America; we are here for the long run,” said Mr. Kvorning, who is just a week into his role as CEO. “The factory is designed for capacity expansion, and we intend to create many more local jobs in the years to come.”
With…
Read the full article here
