HTS International Corp., will build a $21.4 million research and metallurgical lab and industrial metal additive manufacturing plant in Knoxville, adding 200 jobs over the next four years.
HTS announced today that it will establish its global headquarters and new U.S. manufacturing facility in in Knox County's Pellissippi Corporate Center.
"Our core mission for our U.S. operations is making U.S. manufacturers more efficient and competitive on a global scale," HTS International CEO Dr. William Sames said in a statement today. "East Tennessee is very central and close to the manufacturers we supply. With the increasing automotive presence in the Southeast, we see the Knoxville area as a strategic location for our engineering services."
The operations will be HTS International's first facility in the U.S.
Dr. Sames, who founded HTS International last year, previously worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, both Department of Energy labs
In addition to its global and North American headquarters, HTS International plans to house an R&D lab, a metallurgical lab and industrial metal additive manufacturing equipment for production in the facility. The facility will include 10,000 square feet of office space and between 50,000 and 60,000 square feet for R&D and production.
"We are seeing our technology revolutionize the die casting and plastic molding industries," Sames said. "By significantly reducing the cycle time of production, sometimes by 50 percent or more, we are seeing companies reshore production to the U.S. and expand existing U.S. production."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said Tennessee's advanced manufacturing sector has grown more than 33 percent since 2010, four times higher than the nation's growth average.
"HTS International's decision to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Knox County underscores our skilled workforce and the hub of advanced manufacturing activity in Tennessee," Haslam said.
Construction of HTS International's new Knox County facility is expected to begin in early 2017.
Source: timesfreepress.com
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