Japanese company breaks ground in Haralson Co. for first U.S. plant

ATLANTA, November 1, 2006 - The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced today that Suzukaku, a steel manufacturer and processor based in Japan, will locate its first U.S. facility in Haralson County, Georgia. The company will create 48 jobs in the next five years.
'More and more companies like Suzukaku are discovering Georgia's many business advantages,' said Craig Lesser, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, 'Last year international companies accounted for a total of 24 percent of new investment in the state.'

Suzukaku Co. Ltd. USA will initially invest $10 million in the facility and hire 21 employees. The company broke ground Monday for a 35,000-square-foot building in the Georgia West Business Park near Buchanan. Suzukaku will make parts for major motor sport manufacturers in Georgia.

'We are very pleased with the opportunity this location presents us to employ qualified workers and to give us access to our markets,' said Project Leader Yoshiyuki Yamamoto of Suzukaku Co, Ltd. 'Suzukaku is a respected corporate citizen in Japan and looks forward to joining the local community of Haralson County, Georgia.'

'We welcome Suzukaku and are proud that they have chosen Haralson County for their first location in the country,' said Joan Young, executive director of the Haralson County Development Authority. 'Suzukaku's decision to come here was influenced by our available workforce, our strategic location and the great pro-business spirit we have in the community and in the state.'

Suzukaku began business in 1913 and Suzukaku Co., Ltd., headquartered in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, was formally established in 1982. In Japan, Suzukaku employs 195 full-time and 59 part-time workers and produces fabricated steel for use in construction, bridges, motorcycles, and transport containers.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.