Austrian mechanical engineering company lands in Upstate.

• Position: Upstate, South Carolina

Kostwein Corp., a high-tech machine manufacturer, will establish its first U.S. operations in Greenville County through a $8.5 million investment slated to create 95 new jobs.

Founded in 1921 and headquartered in Austria, Kostwein produces machines, modules and high-tech components for various sectors of mechanical engineering, including a strong presence in packaging machinery for food and other verticals.

"Kostwein is a family company with a 100-year history acting in the build-to-print business," CEO Hans Kostwein said in a news release. "We are proud that our customers are world market leaders in the different fields of machine production. Our headquarters is in Austria, and we have production facilities in Croatia and India totaling 1,200 employees in the group. We are glad to announce that we are growing our global production footprint with the manufacturing facility in Greenville County."

Kostwein was founded as a locksmith shop and later began producing refrigeration compressors. Production was continuously expanded into new market areas, and in 1992, it became a limited liability company, according to the news release. In 2001 the Kostwein Holding GmbH was founded. The company expanded into India in 2009 and Croatia a few years later.

"Despite a drawn-out process due to COVID travel restrictions, we are proud to have found a home for Kostwein in the Upstate and look forward to Kostwein having a successful start in South Carolina," Benedikt Ibing, managing partner of international consulting firm Pegasus Partners, said in the release.

Pegasus Partners assisted Kostwein in locating its North American site.

Kostwein expects its new facility at 500 Hartness Drive to dramatically expand the company's machine manufacturing and customer support capabilities to the U.S. market.

"Greenville County welcomes Kostwein as it establishes its new presence in North America right here in our community," Greenville County Council Chairman Willis Meadows said in the release. "The company is a recognized leader in the complex machinery...