German company opens new facility in Mon Valley
A division of a German manufacturing company is moving its domestic corporate headquarters to Fallowfield Township just west of Charleroi in the Monongahela Valley.
Spaleck USA LLC, an American subsidiary of Spaleck GmbH & Co. KG debuted its new 15,000-square-foot facility in Alta Vista Business Park during a Wednesday morning ribbon cutting, promising a “commitment” to sustained investment in the region.
Founded by Czech immigrants in the German city of Greiz in 1869, Spaleck originally specialized in producing industrial-scale machines for the growing textiles industry, according to Spaleck USA North American Sales Director Martin Hurson.
Over time, the company shifted its focus away from textiles as the industry shrank, diversifying into a wide range of industrial machinery manufacturing for different sectors, Hurson said.
Spaleck USA specializes in both stationary and mobile conveying and separation systems for use in recycling plants, metals reclamation and other industries.
The new facility, which cost just under $4 million, will house the company’s domestic headquarters and maintenance division.
Hurson said Spaleck plans to have a long-term presence in the region, with potential expansion on the Alta Vista property if business continues to grow.
“This is about commitment,” Hurson said, “commitment to our customers, our workers, to doing business in the Mon Valley and to doing business in the U.S.”
The new facility has created seven full-time jobs so far, with three additional positions waiting for qualified applicants.
Hurson said that in the decade Spaleck has done business in the U.S., the company has experienced significant change.
“There have been a lot of highs and lows in that time, but there have also been a lot of good things that have happened, and this is the pinnacle of that,” he said.
Mon Valley Alliance CEO Jamie Colecchi said securing Spaleck’s investment constitutes “another win in the development of Alta Vista, which means more jobs and investment for the whole region.”
The 256-acre business park was built by MVA about 20 years ago on land formerly occupied by a slag heap from the mining industry and farmland.
Now, 16 of its 17 available lots have been occupied by long-term operators like Spaleck USA, Komatsu LTD., DeLattre and Bloom Engineering.
Washington County Commissioner Chair Nick Sherman said investments like this are crucial to the overall economic development of a region, saying that “this is a shining example of partnerships between the alliance, local elected officials and a German company that could have gone anywhere in the world, but they chose to put its flag down in Washington County.”
According to Abby Stark, director of strategy and development for MVA, this partnership reflects the kind of coordinated economic development effort needed to bring new opportunities to former and existing industrial sites throughout the Mon Valley.
“By aligning a global company, a local economic development organization, a trusted construction partner and supportive public officials, the Alta Vista project demonstrates what can be accomplished when business, industry and community leaders work together toward a shared vision for regional growth,” she said.
“We’re delighted to be here,” Hurson said.