Germany’s Gustav Wolf GmbH announced that it has officially opened a factory in Rome, Georgia, that represents the first expansion of the business into the U.S.

A press release said that the 61,354-sq-ft plant, which was acquired from Swiss-based Brugg, has annual capacity of 3,000 tons of steel wire elevator rope, and that there are plans to expand that capacity. “We’re now manufacturing in the USA as well,” said Managing Director Dr. Ernst Wolf. “This represents an important step in the more than 130-year history of our company. It’s in keeping with our tradition to occupy the strongest markets on every continent.”

In the release, Wolf explained that with the addition, the company now has six rope plants on three continents. “Our aim is and has always been to be able to deliver our premium products to our customers within 24 hours. Establishing a base in the USA means that we can now accomplish this for all our customers throughout the world.” Asia, Europe and the U.S. represent a major market for specially constructed ropes, he said, adding that the idea of launching a U.S. plant stems back three years.

“For us, the start of production in Rome is an absolutely decisive component in the further international expansion of the Gustav Wolf Group,” Wolf said. “We want to and will grow with the markets. As a service provider, we help our customers in their dynamic development, thus securing local jobs as well.”

Reinhard Bänisch, the company’s division manager for steel wire ropes, said that there are high expectations. “From May onwards, we’ll be additionally installing some new machines. And that’s just the beginning. We plan to have 30 staff at the site and want to achieve a turnover of $12.3 million dollars.”

“Our ropes, produced for the major and leading elevator manufacturers, fulfill the highest standards,” said Richard Lindemeyer, who manages the U.S. site. He said that the elevator wire production would be exclusively for the American market.

The release said that company’s focus is not limited to wire rope. It cited Konrad Stahr, the company’s central quality officer, as noting that Gustav Wolf has other wire products. “We’re also one of the premium manufacturers in the ‘tire wire’ segment and a major supplier of the big tyie manufacturers such as Goodyear, Continental, Bridgestone and Pirelli,” said Konrad Stahr, the central quality officer at Gustav Wolf.