Governor McAuliffe Announces 35 New Jobs in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool Inc. (KSPT), a wholly owned subsidiary of KYOCERA Corporation and a leader in solid carbide cutting tool manufacturing, will invest $9.5 million to establish a North American technology and strategic manufacturing hub, KYOCERA SGS Tech Hub, LLC, in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County.

The new operation will be in the Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facility Authority-owned Cyber Park. Virginia successfully competed against Ohio and South Carolina for the project, which will create 35 new jobs. The Governor met with company officials during the 2015 Paris Air Show and the 2016 Europe Marketing Mission. KYOCERA SGS Tech Hub has also joined the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) as an Organizing Member, the highest level of participation CCAM offers.

“KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool’s decision to establish a North American technology and strategic manufacturing division of the company in the Commonwealth is a huge win for the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, and for Virginia’s booming advanced manufacturing industry,” said Governor McAuliffe, speaking at the announcement. “As a strategic supplier to Rolls-Royce and an Organizing Member of CCAM, we are confident that the company can serve as a hub to attract additional local machine tool operators and suppliers operations to the region. Recruiting global companies of this caliber is a key component of our marketing and trade mission, as well as our goal to diversify and build a new Virginia economy.”

“We welcome KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool to the Danville/Pittsylvania County region and the burgeoning sector of advanced manufacturing companies that call Virginia home,” said Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “CCAM, already a vital component of the Commonwealth's business attraction and retention assets, continues to provide a pipeline of qualified workers in this ever-growing industry, and we are confident that KSPT will benefit from a talented pool of employees that are trained at a world-class facility."

KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool Inc., formerly known as SGS Tool Company and now a wholly owned division of KYOCERA Corporation, was originally founded in 1951. Today, KSPT is best known for its solid carbide high-performance end mills, drills, stainless steel medical tools and subsequent PVD coatings. The majority of its business and manufacturing is in the U.S. with strategic manufacturing also occurring in Wokingham, England for the company’s European market. KSPT generates more than 37 percent of its sales from exports to over 60 countries.

“Under the encouragement of Governor McAuliffe, KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool visited the state of Virginia and the city of Danville, where we instantly connected with a location and a population of people that are in the early stages of a renaissance that perfectly aligns with our own internal evolution,” said Alan Pearce, CEO of KYOCERA SGS Tech Hub. “We are a company with a long history of tradition and values, where creative and progressive thinking has established industry changing and leading high performance solutions. The history of the Danville area and its people, coupled with the high level technical skill development and engineering advancement efforts driving Virginia into an industrial leading position in the future, is the essence of why the KYOCERA SGS Tech Hub is being created in Danville, Virginia. The Tech Hub is our investment into a forward thinking, proactively leading, and quick response industrial solutions hub tailored to each customer’s unique needs, which is precisely how the state of Virginia and the city of Danville approached us during our search to finalize a location to shape the future of our organization.”

“We are excited to forge the next chapter of our future success alongside our new home of Danville, Virginia,” said Jason Wells, Chief Technical Officer of KYOCERA SGS Tech Hub. “The support and investment the elected officials have demonstrated complement the emphasis they have placed into developing a skilled workforce starting at the high school level, networking world class University level engineering programs, and supporting industry changing research at facilities such as CCAM and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. This provides us with complete confidence that our only option is success in Virginia.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McAuliffe approved a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Danville and Pittsylvania County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $350,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will also be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“The City of Danville is thrilled to have KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool locating in Danville’s Cyber Park and to provide employment opportunities for the highly skilled graduates of the Integrated Machining Technology students at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research,” said Danville Director of Economic Development Telly Tucker. “This announcement demonstrates the impact of City and County elected officials, community leaders, and educational institutions all working together for the good of the region.”

“Pittsylvania County is excited to welcome KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool to our community,” said Matt Rowe, Director of Economic Development for Pittsylvania County. “This announcement is another positive example of how the City, the County, and their respective leadership can work closely together to recruit and attract high-quality companies such as KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool. Having gotten to know their team, I know that they will be a positive addition to the region and will find great success in Danville-Pittsylvania County.”

“The Tobacco Commission is glad to assist the City of Danville in establishing KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool as an employer for the region,” said Senator Frank Ruff, Commissioner Vice Chairman of the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. “We believe the company will be an asset to the area, building on the quality workforce and the existing training available.”

“As the Delegate representing the Danville area, I have met with KYOCERA SGS Precision Tool several times and am very happy that they have chosen Danville as the location of their U.S. expansion,” said Delegate Danny Marshall. “We appreciate the jobs that they are bringing to our region and wish them much success.”