Linmar Corporation Becomes Johnston’s Newest Industrial Resident
Will Invest $3 Million In Selma Location
Johnston County Commissioners and the Selma Town Council held a joint meeting Monday night to approve an incentive offers that paves the way for Linamar Seissenschmidt Forgings Group to assume operations in an existing building at Selma’s Oak Tree Industrial Park. The company is part of a Linamar Corporation, Canada’s second largest manufacturer of automotive components. It will invest $3 million and create 24 jobs at the Selma location, which sits in convenient proximity to its Linamar Forgings Carolina’s growing facility in Wilson.
“Linamar is a prestigious global name in advanced manufacturing, and we’re proud to welcome them to Selma,” said Cheryl Oliver, Mayor of Selma. Oliver joined the town’s elected officials in a unanimous vote late yesterday to extend an incentives package to the company. “The company choice of Selma brings with it addition jobs and tax-base, as well as a presence that says all the right things about Selma’s location, workforce, business climate and infrastructure.”
County officials also welcomed Linamar Seissenschmidt Forgings Group with a unanimous vote by the Board of Commissioners to approve a five-year, performance-based economic development grant to the company as it completes its investment and hiring. “These jobs come with average salaries that are significantly above the county’s overall average,” said Ted Godwin, chairman of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. Payroll impact alone for Linamar’s Selma facility will approach $1.3 million annually. “The company’s presence here will add a great deal to our local economy and manufacturing community.”
Germany-based Linamar Seissenschmidt Forgings Group manufactures chassis and powertrain products for the automotive industry. In late 2017, the company undertook a $6.8 million expansion at its Linamar Forgings Carolina facility in Wilson County, which its new operations in Selma will support. Linamar Forgings Carolina has operated in Wilson since 2014.
“This project showcases the close connections Johnston County maintains within the broader regional economy,” said Chris Johnson, director of the Johnston County Office of Economic Development. Johnston and Wilson counties, for instance, have been collaborating as part of the BioPharma Crescent, a five-county initiative that markets the collective assets and amenities of the region’s life sciences operations. “Linamar also underscores how international our manufacturing community has become,” Johnson said. “Leading corporations from across Europe and Canada understand and appreciate the unique array of advantages that our county can offer quality-minded global companies.”
