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Foundry manager say work 'on track'
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Firth Rixson General Manager Chris Bohlmann gives a presentation during the Richmond Hill Rotary Club’s Thursday meeting. - photo by Photo by Katie McGurl
Firth Rixson Limited General Manager Chris Bohlmann spoke to the Richmond Hill Rotary Club on Thursday about the company’s progress on the new Liberty County facility in Tradeport East and local job creation.
The construction of the 200,000-square-foot building is “on track,” according to Bohlmann, but he could not provide details regarding dates for its completion or opening day.
Firth Rixson estimates the forging plant, which will supply parts primarily to the aerospace industry, will create more than 200 jobs in the area. Those will be in addition to the locally hired contractors and electricians already working on the 21-acre site.
“We’re very excited about this investment. I think it’s a fantastic economic opportunity for the whole community, and we’re excited to be a part of that,” Bohlmann said.
When asked about required experience and starting salary rates for prospective plant workers, Bohlmann said Firth Rixson will seek reliable, disciplined individuals who are willing to learn the trade. The company wants to bring in a number of people with engineering or technical backgrounds who can train less experienced workers. Qualified individuals can expect competitive salaries in “the upper tier, or 75th percentile, of the Liberty County average,” Bohlmann said.
“We’re in the initial stages of employing people. There are lots of applicants, thousands of applicants (already). We’re happy to be here and looking forward to the future,” he said.
Firth Rixson Limited is a Sheffield, England,-based forging company whose products are used as aircraft components. Their management team is in the United States, and their primary markets are the aerospace industries in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
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The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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