A BMW supplier has relocated from Greenville County to a state-of-the-art facility at Velocity Park in Spartanburg County.
Berrang Inc., the North American subsidiary of Karl Berrang GmbH, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, recently took up residence in a new 60,000-square-foot building at 1013 Robinson Road.
The facility is on more than 12 acres the company purchased in 2015 near Lear Corp. and the future site of Minghua USA.
“It’s a very exciting time to be in the Upstate,” said Thomas Koehler, general manager of Berrang’s Spartanburg plant. “We are extremely grateful for all the support we received from state and local officials. The business climate in South Carolina is great and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
Berrang specializes in the development and production of high-quality mechanical joining technologies.
The company was first established in Atlanta in 1997 as the first overseas facility for Karl Berrang. In 2001, the company relocated to a 30,000-square-foot space off Pelham Road in Greenville in order to better serve its customers in the North American automotive sector.
Koehler said the company’s business has continued to grow. It currently serves customers in the automotive and agricultural industries.
Berrang is in the process of obtaining its certification for the aerospace industry, which is expected to lead to even more growth, Koehler said.
He said the company has 35 employees, and anticipates adding more employees as demand for Berrang’s products increases.
“We are so glad to see companies that land in the Upstate realize the market’s potential through growth in their customer base,” said Carter Smith, executive vice president of the Economic Futures Group. “We’re pleased that they have identified Spartanburg County as the place that will help them keep their flow of activity going. They have designed a first-class facility that will help accommodate their needs for years to come.
Koehler declined to comment on the company’s investment in the plant.
The company said that in addition to doubling its footprint, the new facility has taller ceilings that will allow for a larger percentage increase of pallet space.
Koehler said the plant has a range of energy-efficient features, including windows throughout that allow natural light to spill in.
The building has been integrated with wireless internet to support short- and long-range Bluetooth scanners that streamline the process of receiving, pulling and shipping of customer products. The company said the system reduces the chance of human error and allows for greater traceability and overview.
Berrang said the facility has opened up space in its quality lab for friction check stand that allows the company to “oversee the coefficient of friction on incoming inspection” and helps its customers “ensure the required torque is applied during assembly to achieve proper fastening.”
The plant has additional office space that has enabled the company to expand its multilingual staff. Berrang has also expanded its purchasing department to support its expanding sales department and growing customer base in the automotive, agricultural, medical and aerospace industries.
Koehler said the company was able to complete the move with no disruptions for its customers.
“Our team did a really fantastic job,” he said.
Karl Berrang has 11 facilities worldwide, including seven in Germany, and one in France, Poland, China and Spartanburg.
For more information visit, www.berrang.de/en/company.
