Utility Business Notes: Virginia Transformer Growing in Georgia
A large manufacturer of transformers and other electrical equipment is investing in Georgia with a plan to expand its plant near Savannah.
Executives with Virginia Transformer Corp. said Nov. 20 that they will put to work $40 million at their Rincon factory, which does business as Georgia Transformer. They said the project, which will start in January and take about a year, will create 400 jobs at the plant to go with the more than 800 there today.
Included in the work are winding machines, material-handling and supply-chain systems, drying equipment and a transformer prep area, among other elements. Combined, those factors will increase the capacity of the 250,000-square-foot facility to make large power transformers by about 70%.
“We’ve been able to grow the past 50-plus years through an unwavering focus on delivering for our customers,” said Prabhat Jain, Virginia Transformer’s CEO. “We are known throughout the industry for being an engineering company that makes premium quality transformers with the shortest lead times. This investment for our customers will further underscore that position.”
Virginia Transformer, which is based in Roanoke, acquired the Rincon plant in 2014. The company also runs plants in Troutville, Virginia and Pocatello, Idaho, as well as two in Chihuahua, Mexico.
“Virginia Transformer’s expansion comes during a time when the demand for utility and commercial scale is at an all-time high,” said Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “By attracting sectors that serve the energy grid, we ensure that businesses not only grow but thrive in Georgia.”
Utility infrastructure services Centuri Holdings Inc., which will ring up nearly $3 billion in revenue this year, has bought a maintenance, construction and storm services provider in the Canadian Atlantic provinces.
Terms of Phoenix-based Centuri’s deal for Connect Atlantic Utility Services Corp. aren’t yet being disclosed. The transaction brings to Centuri a team of more than 150 people that work with utilities and developers primarily in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Buying CAUS gives publicly traded Centuri (Ticker: CTRI) an electric services foothold in Canada to go with its existing gas services business in several provinces. (See the map below.) Overall, the company’s revenues through the first nine months of this year were split almost evenly between work on gas and electric utilities.
“Canada is expected to invest nearly $2 trillion by 2050 to support the country’s electricity-grid modernization and clean energy goals,” CAUS President John MacKinnon said in a statement. “Combining the resources, processes, and expertise of Centuri and CAUS positions us well to expand our offerings and reach and deliver even greater value.”
About the Author
Geert De Lombaerde
Senior Editor
A native of Belgium, Geert De Lombaerde has more than two decades of business journalism experience and writes about markets and economic trends for Endeavor Business Media publications T&D World, Healthcare Innovation, IndustryWeek, FleetOwner and Oil & Gas Journal. With a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, he began his reporting career at the Business Courier in Cincinnati and later was managing editor and editor of the Nashville Business Journal. Most recently, he oversaw the online and print products of the Nashville Post and reported primarily on Middle Tennessee’s finance sector as well as many of its publicly traded companies.