Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that NIFCO KTW, a German automotive supplier of high-quality injection molded components, will locate its U.S. operations in Toccoa, creating 200 jobs and investing $27 million within the first five years.

“Automotive suppliers such as NIFCO KTW choose Georgia because they trust that our state is the best place to grow their business,” said Deal. “Stephens County boasts pro-business resources and a ready-to-work community that provides a stable foundation for global companies to flourish. After more than 40 years of business ties with Germany in this region, I look forward to the high-quality jobs that this thriving, industry-leading company will bring to this community and our state.”

NIFCO KTW supplies many automotive manufacturers around the world. The Toccoa-based facility will supply injection-molded parts to BMW and Mercedes-Benz USA, among others. The quality injection components can be found on the interior and exterior of a variety of vehicles.

“We at NIFCO KTW are proud and feel very fortunate to have found Toccoa in Stephens County as the home of our new U.S. headquarters and production facility in North America,” said NIFCO KTW Managing Director Roland Furtmayr. “Local and regional connectivity is the basis for our success in Germany and we strive to do the same in the U.S. We would like to offer our qualified and motivated employees pleasant and attractive surroundings. In the City of Toccoa, we have found the perfect partner in North America for this goal. NIFCO KTW looks forward to becoming a reliable and successful employer that contributes to positive economic development in Stephens County.”

As the company’s first North American headquarters, NIFCO KTW will build an initial 130,000-square-foot facility on 32 acres of Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development-certified land at Hayestone Brady Business Park. The company also has intentions of expanding this site in the future. NIFCO KTW will also plan to take advantage of QuickStart, the nation’s No. 1 workforce training program, to provide customized training to the new employees.

KTW is headquartered in Weissenburg, Germany, and employs 350 people. The company recently joined the NIFCO Group, which supplies plastic injection components globally from plants in 14 countries.

Germany is one of Georgia’s top investor nations, leading in number of facilities, number of jobs and money value investment. Nico Wijnberg, project manager on the international investment team at the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), represented the state and partnered with Lonnie Smallwood at Electric Cities of Georgia and Tim Martin at the Stephens County Development Authority.

“Georgia is constantly on the radar for international automotive suppliers that are looking to expand operations to the U.S.,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “Our strategic location near a large base of original equipment manufacturers and direct access to a skilled workforce and interconnected logistics infrastructure make Georgia the ideal location for NIFCO KTW’s first North American headquarters.”

“The Stephens County Development Authority welcomes NIFCO KTW to our community,” said Stephens County Development Authority Chairman Brian Akin. “This is an exciting day for Toccoa-Stephens County and a huge win for our local job market. It has been a very rewarding experience throughout this process to see our local leaders working together for the common good of our community. The investments that we have made in infrastructure, workforce development and education are starting to pay some significant dividends. The fact that a world-class company such as NIFCO KTW has selected Stephens County as its U.S. headquarters speaks volumes about our readiness and desire to compete in the global marketplace. We couldn’t be any happier with the decision that NIFCO KTW has made, and we stand committed and ready to make sure that their expansion into the U.S. is successful.”