German instrument transformer manufacturer to open North American headquarters in Hartwell

ATLANTA — Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that RITZ Instrument Transformers plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Hartwell, creating 50 jobs and investing $3 million.

“Georgia’s business assets continue to appeal to international manufacturers such as RITZ that are looking to expand their U.S. presence,” said Governor Perdue. “Our strong workforce, business-friendly environment and transportation network make Georgia an ideal location for RITZ’s North American headquarters.”

RITZ Instrument transformers will expand its U.S. presence by opening a new facility in Hartwell. The company plans to manufacture medium and low voltage instrument transformers at the new facility, expected to be approximately 30,000 square feet in size. The facility will also serve as North American corporate and sales headquarters. The manufacturing processes will include transformer winding, assembly, molding and electrical testing, creating job opportunities for employees of various skill sets. RITZ hopes to develop a pool of domestic suppliers for its component needs.

“We are excited about the prospect of having a manufacturing facility in Hartwell,” said Ingmar Grambow, the leader of the RITZ Management Board. “The decision to build a manufacturing facility in the U.S. was a logical extension of the market development work that has taken place over the last several years. Hartwell was ultimately chosen as the plant site because of our confidence in the quality of the workforce that RITZ will be able to attract and the level of support offered by the state and local community. We believe that this is sufficient grounds to feel confident in the success of this undertaking.  There are many years of sales and employment growth ahead of us.”

“The Hart County Board of Commissioners is proud to welcome RITZ Instrument Transformers to our industrial community,” said Jon Caime, Hart County Administrator. “Hart County’s low taxes, ideal location and strategic emphasis on high-tech and growing industrial sectors make this RITZ investment in our community an ideal match with the goals of the Hart County Board of Commissioners. We look forward to their long-term profitability and success in Hart County.”

Scott McMurray, project manager with GDEcD, assisted the company in its location.

About the company

The RITZ company was founded in 1945 by Dr. Hans Ritz with the goal of making the instrument transformer the most reliable part of the electrical power system. With the addition of the Hartwell facility, the RITZ Group will consist of seven factories located in five countries around the world. RITZ is the world’s largest manufacturer of instrument transformers in the 600 V through 72 kV range. Its many important clients include Siemens, ABB, AREVA and most large electrical utilities.  The company has been able to grow and prosper by focusing on maintaining a very high quality standard, product innovation and cost-effective lean manufacturing.  In addition to instrument transformers, the group also manufactures cast coil power transformers, resin insulated bus bar systems and specialty resin products.

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