German auto supplier growing state presence with US HQ in Greenville

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Automotive supplier Wenker Inc. plans to grow its South Carolina presence by establishing its new U.S. headquarters in Greenville County with a $3.1 million investment that will create 27 new jobs.

The company made the announcement today through the Greenville Area Development Corp. and the state Commerce Department.

Headquartered in Germany, Wenker Inc. is a metal and steel construction company that offers plant engineering and fabricated metal products for the automotive industry, according to the news release.

“The U.S.-Wenker story is becoming an exciting one,” Wenker Germany owner and CEO Stefan Leers said in the news release. “We are very proud to build our new U.S. headquarters in Greenville County, here in a community which felt like home from day one.”

Success at a smaller operation in Spartanburg County prompted Wenker Inc. to explore larger possibilities, the release stated. By building and moving to a 131,400-square-foot manufacturing facility at 23095 E. Phillips Road in Greer, the company will be able to accommodate increased production operations. This multi-phased project will also provide increased space where the company will place its American headquarters.

The company lists dozens of global brands as customers on its website, including such partners as BMW, Tesla, Porsche, Volkswagen, Volvo, Ford, Faurecia, Mazda and Toyota.

“We are delighted to see that when Wenker, Inc. chose to build and move to a larger facility, the company decided to continue doing business in South Carolina,” Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III said in the release. “This decision is a testament to the Upstate’s solid reputation and commitment to cultivating a favorable business climate in which companies want to keep investing.”

Wenker products and solutions include paint shops, metal and steel construction, hybrid use buildings and panel systems.

Wenker is ISO 9001 certified.

“We are always pleased when a fine international organization like Wenker Inc. chooses to expand its South Carolina presence by growing in Greenville County, Greenville County Council Chairman and GADC board member Dan Tripp said in the release. “The company’s six decades of excellence in industrial production and engineering is an ideal addition to Greenville’s booming automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors, and we wish them success here long into the future.”  

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Operations are expected to be complete by mid-2024, the release said. The company is accepting applications now.

“Wenker Inc.’s decision to construct its new facility inside city limits will contribute to the high-quality sense of place we’re building in Greer,” Mayor Rick Danner said in the release. “The-state-of-the-art production facility will add new quality jobs to the economy in the Upstate, retain existing jobs in the automotive cluster and deliver Greer-made products to automotive facilities throughout the United States.”

Since its founding in mid-2001, the GADC team’s efforts have resulted in the announcement of more than 34,600 new jobs and more than $6.6 billion in capital investment in Greenville County, the release stated.