60 jobs coming to Charlotte as German manufacturer details $15M expansion plan
A German company is expanding its operations in Charlotte, creating 60 new jobs and investing $15.1 million into the city.
Over the next five years, groninger USA will increase its workforce to 172 full-time employees, up from 112, the city announced Wednesday. The new positions will pay about $76,037.
Groninger makes fill and sealing machines for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer healthcare industries, helping to create products used every day, from COVID vaccine vials to makeup tubes.
Groninger will also be expanding its warehouse site in the Steele Creek neighborhood.
The manufacturer recently told The Charlotte Observer that sales have quadrupled in the last decade, going from $19 million in 2010 to $80 million. CEO Phillip Hauser said groninger had outgrown its space.
The company moved to Charlotte in 2007 and opened three years later with 20 employees. Since then, groninger has established an apprenticeship partnership with both UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College, which also buttressed the city’s workforce development goals.
The manufacturer opened its 27,500 square foot facility in 2012 near Charlotte Douglas International Airport. In 2016, it purchased over 7 acres near Carowinds Boulevard for $320,000 in 2016, according to Mecklenburg County property records.
Founded by Horst Groninger, the family-owned company is based in Crailsheim, Germany.
Groninger invented a rotary piston pump which “allowed manufacturers to process cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations more precisely and more hygienically,” according to the city’s news release about the expansion.
Charlotte and Germany relations
The move also further strengthens the city’s relationship with German-based businesses.
Charlotte has the highest concentration of German businesses in the United States, with more than 200 German-owned companies residing in the metro area.
Mayor Vi Lyles, in a statement, praised the groninger expansion, saying it highlighted Charlotte’s commitment to advanced manufacturing and its ability to attract international companies.
City officials, along with representatives from Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority took a trip to Munich in November to deepen the area’s relationship with Germany.
Their agenda included discussions on economic development, affordable housing, mobility and strategic planning as well as watching the Carolina Panthers play the New York Giants at Allianz Arena.
It’s unclear how much the city and county spent on the trip, but it was well over $80,000, WCNC Charlotte reported.
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 11:18 AM.
