Guilford County, N.C. will get a new resident next year in the form of a PC production plant owned and operated by Lenovo.
The plant, set to open in the city of Whitsett, will only house 115 manufacturing employees when it starts making Think-brand notebooks, laptops, and tablets, according to the News Observer.
Lenovo, based in China, already has a Whitsett order fulfillment and distribution center, which it opened in 2008.
The move, based on a solid education and employment infrastructure in the area, is a sign of faith that P.C.'s will prosper stateside, David Schmook, president of Lenovo's North American business, told the Observer.
"[The plant] reflects our confidence in the U.S. PC market," he said.
Raising Lenovo's profile
Though U.S. production costs are typically higher than other parts of the world, the Whitsett plant gives Lenovo the opportunity to build up its U.S. profile while also delivering "products to customers even more quickly and reliably in many situations."
The company only really entered the U.S. market in 2005 after picking up IBM's PC business.
It currently holds the No. 2 PC maker position though this move could push it over the edge to overtake HP in first place.
Although it's second internationally, Lenovo only occupies the No. 4 spot in the U.S. PC market.
According to executives, the Carolina move isn't just a one-off publicity stunt, pointing to more plants, jobs, and a larger American presence further down the road.
North Carolina currently has an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, making the new jobs - and potential future positions - more than welcome in the community.
Via News Observer, AllThingsD
