Fuji Electric Opens Roanoke Facility
Fuji Electric recently opened a 37,000 square foot engineering and assembly facility in Roanoke.
Production at the new facility will focus on assembly of their Variable Speed Drive Custom Panels, Uninterruptible Power Systems, and Auxiliary Power Systems. The announcement is the latest move by the company to grow and expand their business activities in the U.S., as it will allow them to respond more quickly to local market conditions and reduce lead time on product shipments.
“Fuji Electric’s U.S. Engineering team has been operating out of our original Roanoke, Virginia facility since June 2007, so when we decided to open a larger facility and expand our engineering and production efforts, Roanoke was a natural fit for our business,” said Philip Charatz, President and CEO of Fuji Electric Corp. of America. “The city has a strong manufacturing presence with a large pool of qualified, skilled employees, and this new facility will give us the ability to support our increasing Drives business along with our other growing divisions.”
Located at 105 14th Street NW just outside of downtown Roanoke, Fuji Electric has begun production on custom panels for Drives customers and will conduct assembly, witness testing and sales training on their newly released Uninterruptible Power Systems. Production on APS products will begin in November.
“Today’s manufacturing trends require flexibility and rapid responses to customer’s evolving needs,” said Larry Butkovich, General Manager of the Roanoke facility. “Fuji Electric has a worldwide reputation for our engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and we look forward to using our century of experience to strengthen our presence in the U.S. market.”
Fuji Electric held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 2 to commemorate the opening, which was attended by facility employees as well as Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. President and Chairman Michihiro Kitazawa and the Mayor of Roanoke, David Bowers.
“The City of Roanoke is pleased to see companies like Fuji Electric growing their business activities in our community,” said Mayor David Bowers. “The economic stimulation that results from this type of expansion is essential for the city to thrive, and it has a positive effect on everything from employment to local commerce.”
Fuji Electric Corp. of America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., and has been responsible for sales and distribution of the company’s products since 1970. Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. has been developing power electronics equipment since 1923 and is a global leader in industrial products ranging from semiconductors, power supply, and power generation equipment to AC drives and uninterruptible power systems.