SUMTER, S.C. — Half a billion dollars and nearly 300 jobs are expected to come into Sumter County now that a new manufacturing facility has announced it will be coming to the area. The German magnet manufacturer’s parent company is called Vacuumschmelze, with “eVAC” as its US name.
“They need it, I need it, we all need it,” Sumter resident Jeremiah Johnson says about job opportunities.
Now that eVAC has announced its plan to build a magnet manufacturing plant, it says 300 positions are expected to come to the area.
“It's a tremendous day,” Sumter Mayor David Merchant shares about the $500 million investment. “It creates jobs, it creates investment in South Carolina, it creates investment in Sumter specifically, and it just helps show that Sumter can compete with anybody in the state as far as our workforce and what we can help generate.”
“I think as we grow with more and more job opportunities, we'll continue to get a bigger group of people and with that more talent, more opportunity and just continue to get better together,” Sumter resident Will Hancock explains.
Hancock says economic development is key to making Sumter a good place to live.
“Sumter has made a big shift in the last decade. When I was in high school, I don’t think I had much to say about Sumter,” Hancock remembers. “Now I have plenty to say about Sumter as far as bringing people in.”
It’s something small business owner Niki Lewis says is important.
“With bringing new businesses, you have new faces coming in, different ideas. So it’s really good for all the small businesses,” Lewis says. “A lot of people go outside of where they live to get better opportunities, but if we're bringing those businesses and corporations in, that's better for them to stay home, meaning more time with their family because they don't have to travel as much. And then again, the money stays within the community.”
“Businesses from all over the world are coming to South Carolina. It's our job to see that we don't drop the ball,” Gov. Henry McMaster said on stage at the announcement. “Sometimes we really don't realize how good we have it, but other people do and that’s why they’re coming here.”
McMaster and leaders from across the state gathered for the announcement, which Vacuumschmelze’s CEO Erik Eschen says was made because of the people.
“The big difference for us was really people when you sit with them and talk with them, you see they mean it. And this is a unique experience we had here in South Carolina, especially Sumter that made the change and a difference,” Eschen shares.
Eschen says the facility is expected to be open by the end of 2025.
“Construction will be starting you know, hopefully we can get some local contractors involved to be participating in that and then it'll be plenty of announcements and talking about job fairs and job creations,” Mayor Merchant explains.
“We even try to avoid any noise from the outside,” Eschen adds. “And we assume depending on the day between two or four additional trucks we will have in the area, so I hope your traffic system can digest that. So we will be a very friendly and quiet neighbor, but not only that, we want to really be engaged in this wonderful community.”
eVAC’s technology is used in electric vehicle motors and will support US defense programs, as Eschen explains.
“We can’t understate how world class this company is,” South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey says. “Their technology is really cutting edge leading technology in this world and frankly you know, they are the only company that does what they do that is based in the Western Hemisphere, so it is a great honor to have them be part of South Carolina.”
