News & Press
- TALON SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES plans to invest $3.5 Million and Create 150 Jobs
- 12/17/2009
Ontario, Canada-based furniture manufacturer Talon Systems, Inc. announced today it will invest $3.5 million to locate its first manufacturing facility outside Canada in Statesville, North Carolina.Talon manufactures ready-to-assemble furniture and organizational systems sold through major retailers under the Black and Decker, IKEA, Akada Home and private label brand names. Their customers include IKEA, Target, Home Depot, Sears, Menards and Lowes Home Improvement. They currently operate a 400,000 square foot manufacturing facility and headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, 15 miles southwest of Toronto. The Statesville plant is planned to meet rapidly increasing demand in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, and will not impact operations at the Mississauga facility.Talon will locate its Statesville plant in the 309,000 square foot building on Meacham Road which formerly housed the Canac Kitchens Division of Kohler Inc. The facility is expected to generate 150 new jobs over five years, with 90 of those new jobs coming on-line within the first 36 months. Talon expects to close on the property by mid-January, with production beginning in March or April.“As the economy shows signs of recovery, we are proud to announce the infill of an existing building,” said Mayor Costi Kutteh of Statesville. “Again, the hard work done by the economic development partners we have developed has led to another industrial recruitment success for Statesville.”Talon President Derek Okada indicated that the company had provisions in its strategic plan to locate a new facility somewhere in the southeastern United States, and eventually narrowed their search to Statesville and a location in Virginia. The economic development assistance offered by the One North Carolina Fund, North Carolina Rural Center, Iredell County and City of Statesville proved to be the difference.Iredell County Board of Commissioners Chairman Godfrey Williams commented that, “… the addition of Talon Systems to Iredell County is a big step toward rebuilding our manufacturing base, and gives us all a sense of real optimism that things will get better in the coming year.”The quality and ready availability of a skilled workforce were also major factors in Statesville’s selection. Although Talon Systems manufactures a different end-product, their manufacturing processes are similar in many ways to those of Canac Kitchens, and many of the skills acquired by former Canac workers will be directly applicable. In areas where additional training will be required, Mitchell Community College will team with Talon to implement an on-going workforce development program.Greater Statesville Development Corporation Chairman Bill Leach commented, “This is our second announcement in two weeks of an international company coming to our community. With our current unemployment exceeding 12%, this is very exciting news. Talon Systems, Inc will create 150 new jobs. Along with the recent Providência announcement, a total of 206 new jobs will be created. We welcome Talon to our community and look forward to working with them as they move forward.”The Greater Statesville Development Corporation would like to recognize the following partners in this significant announcement for our community: the North Carolina Rural Center, the City of Statesville, Iredell County, PSNC Energy, ElectriCities of North Carolina, the NC Department of Commerce, the NC Community College System, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Alexander Railroad, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the One North Carolina Fund and the Greater Statesville Area Committee of 100.Talon Systems is working with the Statesville office of the Employment Security Commission for job opportunities. www.ncesc.com.
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