BMZ Group Selects Virginia Beach to Expand U.S. Manufacturing Headquarters over Poland or China
BMZ Group Selects Virginia Beach to Expand U.S. Manufacturing Headquarters over Poland or China
November 20, 2018
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (November 20, 2018) — BMZ Group, that opened its U.S. headquarters in Virginia Beach in 2011, is a global leader of lithium-ion battery systems. The company has selected a new location in Virginia Beach at 1429 Miller Store Road to expand its manufacturing operations. BMZ will retain 21 full-time jobs in Virginia Beach and create 30 new jobs with annual salaries of $42,179.
The Virginia Beach Economic Development Authority approved an Economic Development Investment Program grant in the amount of $170,000 based on the capital investment and the number of new jobs created with the expansion. BMZ will invest $2,806,000 in Virginia Beach with real estate, construction, machinery and tools.
"BMZ has grown significantly in the past two years," said Virginia Beach Economic Development Business Coordinator Michelle Chapleau. "BMZ's relationships with the quality vendors like STIHL and the availability of a highly skilled workforce helped us compete successfully for this expansion project. This is the second EDIP grant we've awarded, and it's clear this investment has paid off in keeping a major international manufacturing headquarters here in addition to creating more jobs."
BMZ's current location at 2656 Lishelle Road comprises 16,500 square feet and has increased sales volume from less than $4 million in 2016 to approximately $10 million in 2018. The new location offers 24,000 square feet of class B industrial warehouse space, and the expansion will accommodate new customers and increased production needs. Additionally, BMZ plans to purchase new highly automated manufacturing equipment. Virginia Beach competed against BMZ's facilities in China and Poland for this project.
BMZ's U.S. facility handles North American sales, assembly, distribution, research and development of primarily lithium ion battery units for a variety of industry sectors. The batteries are used in power tools, outdoor power equipment, material handling, medical devices, wind and solar energy, household items and e-bikes. BMZ also imports lithium ion battery cells from its manufacturing facilities in Asia and Europe and partners with local companies to manufacture plastic housings and wiring components. BMZ Group is a major vendor of STIHL, Inc.
"Moving to the new premises is crucial in order to meet our sales target of $50 million in 2021, because we assemble most of our batteries in Virginia Beach," said Kai Schoeffler, general manager of BMZ USA. BMZ USA will achieve this by investing in automated production lines that will help the company offer its North American customers high quality products at competitive prices. We are thankful for the support of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development, which allows us to move our operations to the new building and build a state-of-the-art battery assembly facility.
Established in 1994, BMZ Group is headquartered in Karlstein am Main in Bavaria with production locations in China, Poland and the U.S. as well as branches in Japan and France. In addition, it has research and development locations and more than 3,000 employees across the globe. For more information, visit www.bmz-group.com.
The mission of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development is to attract and retain national and international businesses to stimulate capital investment and create jobs. The Department of Economic Development received re-accreditation through the International Economic Development Council in 2016 and is one of only 50 economic development organizations in the world to have this recognition. Virginia Beach was named America's #1 best big city to live in by wallethub.com. For more information, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com.