GRAY COURT — A manufacturer is expanding an existing production facility in the Upstate.
Meiden America Switchgear, which manufactures and designs high-voltage vacuum circuit breakers and vacuum interrupters, is growing its existing production facility in Laurens County with a $9.2 million investment set to create 43 jobs.
The facility will expand by 37,000 square feet to accommodate new product lines for the North American market. It is located at 2200 N. Old Laurens Road in Gray Court, a small town of around 800 residents and 30 minutes from downtown Greenville. The company’s office space will also grow by 7,500 square feet.
The company, founded in 2020, designs, manufactures, tests, and sells high-voltage vacuum circuit breakers and vacuum interrupters. It is a subsidiary of Meidensha Corp., a Japanese company based in Tokyo that is a leader in manufacturing high-voltage circuit breakers.
Vacuum circuit breakers can switch electrical currents on and off and protect machines from damage. Vacuum interrupters are the core component of several kinds of circuit breakers and are also used to safely interrupt electrical current, protecting the power system from faults, which are defects that result in abnormalities of electrical current.
Gov. Henry McMaster said in a press release that when a “company that was founded in our state chooses to expand, it shows the value of the partnerships we have built and the confidence employers have in our people,” and that the investment is “further proof that South Carolina companies thrive in our strong business climate.”
Laurens County Council Chairperson Jeff Carroll said the county “continues to be a place where business thrives.”
Meiden America Switchgear will begin manufacturing and distributing 123 kilovolt breakers to support North American electric power utility partners. The expansion should finish by May 2026.
The SC Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project. The credits are discretionary and performance-based incentives. The council also awarded a $150,000 set-aside grant to Laurens County to help with the costs of site preparation and building construction.
Hiro Takeshita, the president of Meiden America Switchgear, said the company is “excited to invest in our people, our products and Laurens County.”
“This expansion reflects our dedication to innovation, our commitment to help our customers reduce their environmental impact and strengthen the electrical grid of the U.S. and Canada,” Takeshita said. “It also positions us to meet increasing demand.”