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Provides US Inc. celebrates establishment of U.S. production facility in Augusta County

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augusta-county2editsProvides US Inc., an Italy-based company, held an open house on Tuesday to formally celebrate progress on the company’s first United States manufacturing plant. Suppliers and customers, along with neighboring businesses, joined in the celebration.

In December 2014, Provides US Inc. announced it would invest over $6 million to locate a manufacturing facility in Augusta County, Virginia. The new location created an improved supply chain for crucial HVAC components to Daikin Applied and other HVAC manufacturers in North and South America. The company’s decision to locate a facility in the mid-Atlantic region offers great advantages in shipping products to customers in the Western hemisphere.

Tom Coplai, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, has been on site to direct the establishment of the facility.  In regards to the progress since December, he said, “We have had tremendous success in hiring talented local production associates and management personnel, which, in turn, has allowed us to make great strides in transferring highly technical product designs from Italy to the U.S. in a relatively short time frame.” “We were able to complete our first production run of heat exchangers in August, which is an incredible pace,” Coplai added.

The company was originally established in 1968 and manufactured office furniture. Over the years, the company manufactured various metal-based products and came onto the heat exchanger sector in 1996. Since then, Provides has become an industry leader in heat exchangers. The company is ISO 9001:2000, ISO 18001 and ISO 14001 certified.  Provides’ rise as an industry leader is due to the company’s dedication to quality, extensive research and development, and responsibility in its manufacturing operations.

In less than one year, Provides US Inc. has already created 18 new jobs in Augusta County.  As the facility continues to ramp up production, 45 total jobs will be located at the Verona site.

Mike Shull, Chairman of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors said, “The addition of jobs and industry-leading companies to Augusta County is a top priority for the Augusta County Board of Supervisors.”  “We desire our citizens to have access to good-paying, quality jobs, and we are proud to add Provides U.S. to the list of high-level manufacturing companies in Augusta County,” Shull added.

Butch Wells, member of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors and representative of the Beverley Manor District where Provides US Inc. is located also commented saying, “Provides is adding exactly the type of jobs Augusta County needs.  About one-fifth of our labor force is employed in manufacturing – this is where Augusta County excels – we make things for the rest of the world.”

In an effort to attract Provides US to Virginia, the Virginia Jobs Investment Program was able to help fund the training of new employees in cooperation with Augusta County, which matched the training grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

About Augusta County, Virginia: Located in the center of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and at the intersection of I-64 and I-81, the area offers easy access to transportation networks and global markets.  Augusta County experienced nearly $200 million in investment and more than 400 net new jobs created in the last two years.  With household names such as Hershey Chocolate of Virginia, McKee Foods, Target Distribution, Daikin, and Hollister serving as the five largest manufacturing/distribution companies in Augusta County, the area enjoys a rich and diversified business base.  More information at www.AugustaVABusiness.com.

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