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Pilot lands new manufacturer

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A Charlotte-based Fortune 1000 company is setting up a location in Pilot Mountain.Charlotte-based SPX Corp. says on its website that it is a global supplier of products and technologies for the HVAC, detection and measurement and engineered solutions markets. “This company is leasing the former Elastrix building also known as the Intex building on Stephens Street in Pilot Mountain,” said Todd Tucker, president of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership, which recruits businesses to the county. SPX is talking about hiring 10 people now with the possibility of adding a few more as the operation gets up and running. “We’re very excited to have SPX to come and open an operation in Pilot Mountain,” said Tucker.  “They are putting to use a building that has been vacant for a couple of years, so it’s good to get that building back in productive use. ”Paul Clegg, SPX’s vice president of investor relations, said that the move comes after his company lost its lease on a building it occupied in Pennsylvania as the owner decided to go in another direction with the property. “We looked around for where we wanted to move the operation, and Pilot Mountain and the Surry County area came up high on our radar,” said Clegg.  “We liked the location relative to our customer base and the quality labor pool.”Clegg said his firm’s customer base is made up of the wholesale distributors in the state. “We also happen to have several other operations located in the Carolinas, including our headquarters in Charlotte, so it’s easy for us to get to,” said Clegg, who works in the Ballantyne section of south Charlotte. In some cases, the EDP and county officials work together to offer some type of incentive package to entice a company to Surry County. In this case, the incentive was getting a space ready quickly so that the northern operation could move down right away, noted Tucker. “We have worked hard to get that building back into use, and we were fortunate to have an investor purchase the building and work with the company to lease it,” he said. “We did our best to get them in as quickly as possible.”SPX has some special needs for the building and is doing some unfitting for what machinery will go inside, Tucker said. Some job listings online for SPX Cooling Technologies include a material handler whose activities would “utilize a template to mark cutting lines on plastic sheets to be assembled and cutting sections out from sheets. ”There are also job listings for maintenance specialist, thermoformer operator, saw and packing operator, flipper, LMC operator and a plant superintendent. Thermoforming is using heat to shape plastic sheets into usable designs such as becoming the inner workings of a cooling tower, according to Clegg. These cooling towers and similar components don’t last forever and have to be replaced, thus giving SPX repeat customers. “Pilot Mountain is a great place to do business based on our ideal location, low taxes, access to services, and the pride our people take in their work,” said Evan Cockerham, Pilot Mountain mayor. “Our town is excited to welcome SPX to our business community, and I am grateful for their investment. “We’re always looking for new business partners and economic development,” said Van Tucker, chairman of the Surry County Board of Commissioners. He admitted he doesn’t know much about the company yet, but he appreciates employers bringing new jobs to the area. Clegg said he doesn’t know how many positions might have been filled locally already. Those interested in a position should check in at the facility at 523 S. Stephens St. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.