A business that makes loading racks and fall protection equipment is adding more production capabilities to its Georgetown County facility, a $9 million investment that is expected to create 58 jobs, officials announced Wednesday.
SafeRack LLC, which moved into the Georgetown County Business Center industrial park in Andrews in 2005, is adding 50,000 square feet – doubling the size of its facility – so it can manufacture more customized products and meet increasing demand for its products, said David Raines, SafeRack’s chief financial officer. The company also recently hired an employee to focus on developing export business in 19 countries, Raines said.
“Business is doing pretty good,” he said.
SafeRack, which also has a corporate sales office in Sumter, sells to businesses in the fuel industry, railroads, food companies – any company that needs to protect workers from falling, Raines said.
Construction on the expansion is expected to start in February and be done by the end of 2012, he said.
Hiring for the new jobs already has started. The company will need a variety of workers, including welders, equipment operators and those in shipping and handling, Raines said.
Job-seekers interested in applying should e-mail Pward@saferack.com with “employment” in the subject line. The company can receive job development credits for the new jobs, and the S.C. Technical College System will offer pre-employment training.
These jobs are part of a recovery in the manufacturing sector in South Carolina this year, with manufacturing adding 10,800 jobs since October 2010, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.
“Manufacturing continues to be a job creator in the Palmetto State,” Bobby Hitt, South Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce, said in a news release.
Georgetown County has benefitted from the manufacturing uptick, with its employment rate dropping significantly in October to 10.2 percent – though that’s still much higher than a few years ago. The jobless rate for November will be released Tuesday.
“Seeing high-tech companies like SafeRack grow at such a rapid pace speaks volumes for the quality of our workforce as well as our local business climate,” Georgetown County Council Chairman Johnny Morant said in a news release. “We are excited to see jobs being created within our community and wish the company continued success in the years to come.”
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