Global healthcare and medical device manufacturer Nipro Medical Corporation has selected Greenville-Pitt County, North Carolina for its first North American manufacturing center of excellence. The company, owned by Nipro Corporation in Japan, will invest $397.8 million and create 232 new jobs.
Nipro is purchasing the 130-acre Pitt County-owned industrial site in Greenville. The facility will produce state-of-the-art dialyzers and precision needles for insulin and GLP-1 therapies.
“We are thrilled to start manufacturing our cutting-edge medical devices in the U.S., which will support local healthcare professionals and patients with a stable supply chain and reduced transportation costs,” said Tsuyoshi Yamazaki, Senior Managing Director of Global Business at Nipro. “Our close proximity to customers will allow us to better respond to their needs and provide them with timely and effective solutions. Our new facility in Greenville is a major milestone in our sustainability journey, reflecting our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”
“This new facility marks a major milestone in Nipro’s commitment to the U.S. market, allowing us to deliver high-quality medical devices that enhance patient outcomes and quality of life,” commented Akira Shimizu, CEO of Nipro Medical Corporation.
In recent years, North Carolina has focused on recruiting Japanese business, and the nation now ranks as the number one source of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the state. More than 30,500 North Carolinians work at Japanese-owned companies, with several thousand more scheduled to start in the next five years.
“I’m excited to welcome another advanced manufacturing company to eastern North Carolina,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Not only will Nipro join a Greenville community of health care leaders, it will grow eastern North Carolina’s life sciences prowess with the help of the skilled, dedicated and diverse workforce they need to succeed.”
“Our close proximity to customers will allow us to better respond to their needs and provide them with timely and effective solutions. Our new facility in Greenville is a major milestone in our sustainability journey, reflecting our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”
— Tsuyoshi Yamazaki, Senior Managing Director, Global Business, Nipro
“It has been an incredible two-year partnership that has brought this project to fruition,” said Josh Lewis, president and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “This announcement is a testament to the power of collaboration within our community and the Greenville ENC Alliance is proud to be the partner that brings everyone together. We are excited about the future of Nipro in our community, the lifesaving products that they will produce, and the many families that will benefit from their operation.”
The new campus in Greenville will host a medical training center for healthcare providers, customer service center, and increase the company’s global capacity to continue expanding its footprint and offering high-end medical devices in a 550,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility for the North American market.
“What I have found most rewarding during the two-year journey with Nipro is the company’s desire to put people first in their reasoning for what they build, develop, and grow,” shared Uconda Dunn, vice president of business development for the Greenville ENC Alliance. “Our community is fortunate to have been chosen as the site to advance Nipro in the U.S. market and our citizens will reap the benefits in many ways.”
Construction will begin on Nipro’s Pitt County facility by the end of 2024 and the plant is expected to be operational in 2026.
HI-CHEW Candy Maker Will Expand Operations In Orange County
In more Japan-related news from North Carolina, Morinaga America Foods, Inc. will invest $136 million to expand its current operations in Orange County, NC. The company, a subsidiary of Japanese confectionary company Morinaga & Co., Ltd., plans to create 204 jobs in Mebane.
“North Carolina continues to attract large investments from companies in Japan because we offer the advantages they look for,” said Gov. Cooper. “It was great to visit with Morinaga’s leadership when I was in Japan and it’s clear that the relationships we’ve made along with our great workforce, infrastructure and quality of life continue to bring good jobs to our state.”
Morinaga & Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries produce and distribute a wide array of confectionary products enjoyed around the world, such as milk caramel, chocolate, cookies, and frozen desserts. In 2013, the company established its American subsidiary and selected North Carolina for its first manufacturing site outside of Asia. It opened the Mebane plant in 2015 to produce one of the company’s signature products, the fruity candy HI-CHEW. Dramatically increased demand for the popular candy will bring additional manufacturing space and production lines to the Orange County site.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the government officials who supported the investment,” said Masaki Matsumoto, Senior Executive Officer and General Manager of the Overseas Business Division for Morinaga Japan. “We aim to become a company that continues to grow here in North Carolina.”
A performance-based grant of $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will support Morinaga’s expansion, contingent on a company capital investment of $115.4 million, the creation of 40 jobs, and local government support. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs.
“We welcome this renewed commitment to our state by Morinaga,” said Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Companies with direct experience of doing business in our state validate our economic strategies when they review their operations and then decide to expand here. We will continue to strengthen the things companies value, like our workforce training programs, so great expansions like this one will keep happening in North Carolina.”
Kitchen Cabinet Distributors Builds New HQ, Distribution Center In Raleigh
Kitchen and bath cabinetry distributor Kitchen Cabinet Distributors (KCD) is expanding and relocating its corporate headquarters to a new facility in Raleigh, NC. The new 195,000-square-foot office and distribution center will help the company enhance service delivery and meet increasing demand. The new headquarters is significantly larger than KCD’s previous Raleigh base, and includes an expanded showroom where customers can explore KCD products.
“Raleigh has been our home for 17 years, and we are excited to continue supporting the community and our customers,” said Randy Goldstein, CEO of Kitchen Cabinet Distributors. “This move provides us with the opportunity to upgrade our space and deliver an improved experience for our dealers and team members.”
“As in our other distribution centers in Orlando, Houston, and Reno, our new headquarters in Raleigh will integrate best-in-class technology to deliver service that continues to exceed our customers’ expectations,” commented Glen Wegel, Vice President of Operations. “The technology and systems that we have in place across our distribution network ensure our customers receive their cabinets on time and complete, every time.”
The new headquarters is expected to begin operations in August 2024 and will employ nearly 100 local residents in office and warehouse roles.
Kitchen Cabinet Distributors was founded in 2007 and is one of the largest distributors of ready-to-assemble cabinetry in the U.S. KCD serves customers in all 50 states in both the new construction and remodel markets.
Watch the video below to learn more about KCD:
