Charlotte manufacturing company’s $34 million expansion plan will add 60 jobs

Solve Industrial Motion Group is investing $34 million to nearly quadruple its Charlotte headquarters and operations, and more than double its workforce.

Solve is going to build a 282,000-square-foot distribution center off Westinghouse Boulevard in Steele Creek, Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte said in news releases Wednesday. The company makes bearings and metric power transmission components used in industries such as food and beverage, and industrial and textile production.

The new facility is about 2 miles west of Solve’s 72,000-square-foot warehouse at 1817 Westinghouse Blvd., according to the company.

Solve, which has 51 workers in Charlotte, will add 60 jobs including warehousing workers, sales and marketing, and management and executive roles.

Charlotte was chosen for its central location and capability of providing next-day service to all of the Southeast, Solve said.

“Charlotte represents a strategic expansion of our network,” Solve CEO Lisa Mitchell said in a statement.

The new space also will allow Solve to expand its engineering and quality control capabilities, and provide flexible shipping and receiving, plus designated product customization stations, according to the news release.

Taxpayer incentives involved

For its investment, Solve has received over $1.2 million in incentive awards from Mecklenburg County and the city.

Mecklenburg County Business Investment Grant program offers $515,782 paid over five years. The city’s Business Investment Grant program is valued at $725,981 for up to seven years.

Solve is partnering with Beacon Partners for site development and expects to move into the new space in late summer or early fall next year.

In February 2021, the privately-held company, named Mitchell as its first CEO. At the time, Mitchell told The Charlotte Observer she hoped to double Solve’s size in two to five years.

Mitchell was chief operating officer since 2019 for P.T. International in Charlotte acquired two companies in two years — LMS Bearings in Denver, Colorado, and IPTCI Bearings in Minneapolis — to create Solve.

Operations in Charlotte date back to the 1990s.

This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 12:14 PM.