An Italian cabinet and furniture supplier to the RV industry will build its U.S. headquarters outside Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Tecnoform USA, a subsidiary of Tecnoform S.p.A. Italy, will build a 98,125-square-foot factory in Cascade Township, Michigan, about two hours north of Elkhart, Indiana.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the project would generate a $7.3 million capital investment and create up to 130 jobs. The project includes a $750,000 state grant and local support through a workforce training package. Whitmer said Michigan beat out competing Indiana and Iowa sites to become Tecnoform USA’s home.
“The idea of having a manufacturing plant in the U.S. has always been one of the Tecnoform’s long-term targets,” Tecnoform U.S. Sales Manager Francesco Canzone said. “Considering that the interest of the American OEMs in our product offerings has been steadily growing in the last years, this idea became a top priority.”
Work is expected to begin on the factory in the summer of 2023. The facility will host manufacturing, service and sales operations.
Tecnoform said it would be able to locally manufacturer much of its RV product assortment but not all. RV manufacturers will continue to connect with the Italian team as they have, the company said. Tecnoform team members will continue monthly travel to the U.S. until the Michigan facility is operational.
“The project will strengthen Tecnoform’s presence and future growth in the North American RV industry,” Tecnoform CEO Renzo Kerkoc said. “We will be closer to our American customers offering a high-quality product with fast response times for dynamic industry needs. Design and engineering will still be driven together with the Italian R&D teams, while the product will be proudly Made-in-USA.”
Tecnoform S.p.A. Italy was founded in 1965 and has 175 employees. The company credited the support of The Right Place, West Michigan’s economic development body, as instrumental to securing the project.
“Tecnoform is a high-tech manufacturer with innovative furniture products,” said Brent Case, The Right Place vice president of business attraction and project lead. “After working with them through the pandemic, we are thrilled they ultimately chose West Michigan as their first North American location, and we look forward to watching their growth here in the US.”
Tecnoform said its teams are preparing for the future with investments in Circular Economy materials, lightweight designs in advance of industry electrification and space-saving solutions to help consumers work and live on the road.
“This investment is also a way of saying thank you to our American partners for trusting our company,” Canzone said. “We can finally be closer to them, supporting their projects and their further growth.”
