German firm to set up wind turbine component factory in Arkansas

May 21, 2010

German company Beckmann Volmer plans to set up a new manufacturing facility for wind turbine components in Osceola, Arkansas.

The $10 million project is expected to create around 300 jobs, with the company promising an average hourly wage of $18.

Once the plant is complete, the company could also opt for a $7.5 expansion that would add 200 more jobs.

Beckmann Volmer produces a range of steel components for wind turbines, but the largest to be produced in Osceola will be turbine main frames, the structural backbone of the turbine.

Beckmann Volmer is a direct supplier to wind turbine manufacturer Nordex, along with other wind energy companies.

The company also has operations in Poland, China and its native Germany.

“We are delighted to call Osceola, Arkansas our new home,” said Bernd Volmer, managing director and co-owner of the company.

“After a thorough search considering more than 100 possible locations in the Midwest and South, we believe that we have found the best place for us to set up shop.”

Governor Mike Beebe, who visited Beckmann Volmer’s leadership on his European business trip in October 2009, joined local and company leaders at the announcement yesterday.

“Beckmann Volmer is the latest international company to select Arkansas as the home for its North American operations, and their commitment will bring quality jobs to Mississippi County,” Gov. Beebe said. “Our stature in the renewable-energy sector continues to bring this type of economic investment to Arkansas.”

“We are very pleased to welcome Beckmann Volmer to Mississippi County,” said Clif Chitwood, executive director of the Great River Economic Development Foundation. “They bring to Northeast Arkansas the kind of high skill, good paying jobs our growing industrial base needs. I invite all who would work, all who would invest, to examine Mississippi County — where a mighty future is building.”

In selecting its site in Oseola, Beckmann Volmer was advised by Ullrich Kämmerer at Rödl Langford de Kock LLP and Florian A. Stamm at Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP. “Qualified workforce, transportation costs and a pro-business environment were leading criteria in identifying East Arkansas as location for the investment, “ said Stamm.

The Beckmann Volmer group of companies was founded in 1995 with 4 employees. More than 650 people are now employed by the company.