IMO Group (Germany; website) announced it has acquired a facility in Summerville, South Carolina, and will begin manufacturing slewing ring bearings there, primarily for wind turbine applications.

Making the announcement in Summerville, outside Charleston, the company said it chose the location for a variety of reasons, including help from the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and several other agencies, including the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Dorchester County, and the German American Chamber of Commerce.

IMO officials said the company needed a move-in location near a seaport, and access to a major airport. IMO will use the Port of Charleston for importing raw materials and exporting finished bearings to most major markets, including Europe and Asia. When it is fully operational, IMO USA will employ approximately 190 people.

It is an established company; wind turbine manufacturers, particularly in Europe and Asia, have been using IMO bearings for nearly 20 years; the company also said its U.S. location was influenced by a recent Clemson University Restoration Institute grant to build a wind turbine testing facility.

Beyond wind tubines, however, IMO slewing ring bearings are also used in blade bearings for tidal stream systems, bearings for construction machinery, tunneling and mining equipment, precision medical equipment, cranes, and steering gears.

Although IMO may be new to the U.S., it brings a significant and energetic presence from Europe. Headquartered in Gremsdorf, Germany, IMO Holding GmbH has six operating divisions, employing over 1,000 people.

• IMO Momentenlager - manufactures ball and roller slewing rings for construction equipment, cranes, materials handling, and medical equipment
• IMO Energy - manufactures ball and roller slewing ring bearings for renewable energy applications such as blade, yaw, and main bearings for wind turbines, and blade bearings for tidal stream systems
• IMO Antriebseinhelt - manufactures hydraulic and electric slew drives; applications include tunnel borers, cranes, and solar energy tracking devices
• IMO Anlagenbau - Focuses on emerging technologies in the machine equipment and manufacturing sector, targeting leading-edge engineering projects. Examples include 1-axis and 2-axies solar trackers and solar home systems and standard and custom advanced equipment.
• IMO USA - slewing ring bearings, primarily blade, yaw and main bearings for turbines up to 5 megawatts

Founded in 1988, IMO Group has been awarded "Bavaria's Top 50" by the Ministry of Economy, and three times has been a "Europe's 500 - Champion of Growth" winner for being one of Europe's fastest-growing companies.

Rudiger Unverzagt, CEO of IMO USA, said: "This is a milestone for our company in history and our vision of a subsidiary in the United States has come true. Charleston's strong port, coupled with its strengthening profile in alternative energy gave us complete confidence in our decision to come here."

Among the approximately 140 in attendance at the announcement, South Carolina's Governor Mark Sanford said: "Today's announcement by IMO speaks to the progress our state and Dorchester County in particular are making in the global race for jobs, capital investment and way of life."