CUMBERLAND – Polyrack North American Corp. was joined today by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, Mayor David S. Iwuc, R.I. Economic Development Corporation and The Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island Inc. in announcing that PNCA has chosen Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland to be the site of its new North American facility.
PNAC is part of the Germany-based Polyrack Tech-Group, a provider of products and services to the electronics industry, which is divided into Polyrack Electronic-Aufbausysteme GmbH (electronic packaging systems), Rapp Kunststofftechnik (plastics technology) and Rapp Oberflächenbearbeitung (surface finishing).
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Polyrack North American has entered into an agreement with the nonprofit EDFRI to purchase Lot 21 at Highland Corporate Park, the statement said.
“The Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island is pleased to add Polyrack North American Corporation to a growing list of quality, globally focused companies that have selected the Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland for new investment,” said
Marcel A. Valois, the EDFRI’s chairman. In a time when we forget the importance of manufacturing to our State’s economy, Polyrack represents the type of design driven, high value added manufacturer that finds Rhode Island and Highland/Cumberland a good investment. Polyrack is the type of clean, technical manufacturer that compliments the image of Highland/Cumberland.”
Cumberland Mayor David S. Iwuc emphasized the importance of encouraging economic development in the town. “The addition of Polyrack North America to the growing list of quality, clean companies in Highland is welcomed news. Highland is living up to its promise of creating new jobs and an expanded tax base for Cumberland.
“Even as my administration prepares to exit, rest assured [that] Cumberland’s job growth and economic development continues to be my priority. Economic development is critical to the fiscal support of our schools and the town’s infrastructure,” Iwuc said.
“The Polyrack Tech-Group is very excited to begin construction in Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland,” said Andreas Rapp, president of PNAC.
“Our search for the perfect location started in southern Rhode Island, more than six months ago. Ultimately, we selected Highland as the preferred location.
“Immediately, we felt the park is a perfect fit and prime location to build our North American headquarters. The clean and well-manicured look of the park fits our corporate image and philosophy. In addition, Rhode Island and the surrounding cities and towns give our company the perfect representation to our existing and potential customers”.
The transaction is being brokered by Gerald C. Surprenant of MG Commercial Real Estate Services, in Providence. Vision3 Architects and New England Construction will design and build the company’s new facility, in the same clean look that is a trademark of all Polyrack’s facilities in Europe, Rapp said.
“We look forward to serving the U.S. and Canadian market from the Highland Corporate Park facility,” he added.
The governor said, “I’m very pleased that another global corporation has chosen Rhode Island as their destination of choice for expansion within the North American marketplace.
The Highland Corporate Park serves as an important asset in our efforts to attract companies who are looking to grow,” Carcieri continued. “We welcome Polyrack’s expansion in Rhode Island and the new jobs they are bringing to our state.”
Saul Kaplan, executive director of the R.I. EDC, noted that “Creating an innovation economy … continues to be a core focus in Rhode Island’s economic development efforts. This latest announcement by Polyrack serves as another example of our state’s growing innovation economy,” he said, “bringing with it highly skilled jobs, state-of-the-art facilities and jobs with high wages.”
The project is currently in the design and permitting stage, with construction expected to begin by early fall and operations at the facility expected to begin by the summer of 2008, according to Polyrack. In Phase One, the company said it plans a 15,000-square-foot office and manufacturing facility, expandable to 25,000 square feet.
Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland – a master-planned, 240-acre technical manufacturing and office park – is a project of The Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island, a private, not-for-profit economic development corporation formed to retain and create quality jobs in the state and strengthen the tax base. For more information about the EDFRI, visit www.edf-ri.com; for further information about Highland/Cumberland, go to www.hcpv.com.
