Samsung To Open $380M Plant In South Carolina For Home Appliances, Create 950 Jobs

Samsung announced Wednesday plans to open a $380 million home appliances manufacturing facility in Newberry, North Carolina.

The plant will create 954 local jobs by 2020, the Korean company said. When the factory is up and running, it will employ workers in various roles, including craftsmen, operators, engineers and other technical and nontechnical positions.

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The plant will manufacture home appliances, including washing machines, starting early next year. The facility is expected to accelerate Samsung’s delivery of its products to American consumers.

“For nearly 40 years, Samsung has steadily expanded our operations in the United States, creating thousands of jobs and investing billions of dollars in cutting-edge manufacturing facilities, research and development,” Samsung Electronics America President and CEO Tim Baxter said in a statement. “With this investment, Samsung is reaffirming its commitment to expanding its U.S. operations and deepening our connection to the American consumers, engineers and innovators who are driving global trends in consumer electronics.”

Samsung said it chose Newberry County for its plant for its highly skilled workforce, strong supply chains and transportation infrastructure.

“The fact that one of the world’s largest and most respected technology companies is choosing to invest in South Carolina speaks volumes about the innovation and excellence our talented workforce is capable of," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to strengthen our state’s partnership with Samsung and look forward to working with them to get this new facility up and running, and producing high-quality, made-in-South Carolina products.”

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The Korean company already operates a call center that supports 800 jobs in Greenville, South Carolina.

It was rumored earlier this year Samsung was planning to open a plant for home appliances in the U.S. because of President Donald Trump’s criticism of imports. Trump spent his campaign promising to implement an import tax on corporations for manufacturing abroad for U.S. customers.

After the report on the possible Samsung plant in February, Trump tweeted, “Thank you, @samsung! We would love to have you!”

It’s worth noting that Samsung’s move isn’t because of Trump’s threats on taxes. The company said it first started thinking about expanding in the U.S. three years ago, long before the presidential election. The company initiated talks with South Carolina last fall.

Other companies are looking to expand in the United States as well. LG announced earlier this year it was looking into building a plant in the U.S. for home appliances, possibly in Tennessee. Japanese company Sharp also could open a $7 billion plant in the U.S. this year, it was reported. Meanwhile, Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group said it was considering a $7 billion factory in the U.S. to focus on building displays.