Expansion expected to add 20 jobs
A demand for services has led a Greenville County logistics company to expand its planned facility at Matrix Technology Park by 30 percent.
KI Logistics will invest $2.7 million into its North American headquarters and major logistics facility, adding 64,000 square feet and creating at least 20 new jobs, company officials announced.
In October 2013, KI Logistics announced plans to invest at least $11.5 million in a new facility and generate as many as 149 new jobs over “the next several years as business warrants.” Since that time, customer requests for additional assistance prompted the decision to expand the company footprint, said Harry Chase, Vice President of Logistics for KI Logistics.
“As we prepare to open our new facility in a matter of weeks, the time is right to undertake this expansion,” he said.
KI Logistics originally planned to build a 208,000 square foot custom facility at the Matrix, with an option to expand the facility in the future. The addition will bring the facility’s full capacity to 272,000 square feet.
Operations at the new facility are expected to begin in July, with the additional space to be completed by September, company officials said.
Gov. Nikki Haley called the company’s expansion a testament to South Carolina’s growing business community.
“We congratulate KI Logistics on their decision to invest another $2.7 million and create 20 more jobs, on top of the $11.5 million and 149 jobs already announced,” she said. “This is another sign we are headed in the right direction.”
The Greenville County facility is intended to enhance KI Logistics’ ability to assist clients “in optimizing their supply chain and operations, while teaching and training a new generation of associates to embrace the lean tools and processes of the company,” Chase said. “We believe Upstate South Carolina is the ideal location to support world-class companies as customers, and to attract and retain a top quality workforce.”
KI Logistics has already added several dozen employees and is working with local companies in the recruiting and training of additional associates, officials said.
The distribution and logistics sector is among the fastest-growing industries today, and a key target for Greenville County and the Upstate, said Dr. Bob Taylor, a member of the Greenville Area Development Corporation board and chairman of Greenville County Council.
“The company is a globally respected business focused on innovation and we are pleased to see KI Logistics grow and thrive here,” he said.
