Thyssenkrupp opening manufacturing facility at border

SUNLAND PARK — International materials distributor and manufacturing services provider Thyssenkrupp Materials is investing in a new facility in southern New Mexico, and the state is kicking in more than $750,000 to support new hires.

The state Economic Development Department announced Thursday it had pledged $500,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds to support the expansion, on top of $253,630 awarded from the Job Training Incentive Program in February for the first 21 employees earning an average hourly wage of $24.52. The department said the project is expected to generate 90 jobs.

“Expanding into New Mexico is a strategic move that strengthens our ability to serve power distribution customers across North America and Mexico with greater efficiency and responsiveness,” James Patsakos, president of Manufacturing Services at Thyssenkrupp Materials North America, stated in a news release. “Santa Teresa offers the ideal location, infrastructure, and workforce to support our long-term growth while enhancing supply chain resilience for our customers.”

Santa Teresa will be the sixth North American manufacturing location for the division, joining others in Canada, Georgia and Mexico. Santa Teresa was selected by the company, the EDD said, because of its proximity to suppliers and customers in Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Preparations are underway in an 86,000-square-foot facility in the WestPark Logistics Center, a growing industrial park near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. Thyssenkrupp’s Copper and Brass Sales division will provide custom metals services, such as complex cutting, kitting and other services, for power distribution components.

“New Mexico’s border region is the best location for manufacturers looking to leverage a strong workforce, competitive costs, and logistical advantages while servicing both international and U.S.-based customers,” Economic Development Secretary Rob Black said in a statement.

Recruiting the company to Santa Teresa was a six-month effort, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance president Davin Lopez told the Journal.

“They had some existing customers in the region, such as Schneider Electric, which was a big reason they focused on expansion in the Borderplex region,” he said.

Jerry Pacheco, who heads the Border Industrial Association, said the company was a valuable new investor in the expanding industrial base near the Santa Teresa-San Jeronimo border.

“This is a German global company that’s in aerospace; they’re in automotive; they make elevators,” Pacheco said. “This is manufacturing. I love manufacturing because manufacturing operations have more employees than a simple distribution center.”