Electrolux, the Swedish appliance maker that announced in 2009 it would move its North American headquarters to Charlotte, is creating more jobs.

The company will invest $14 million to expand its existing facility in University City and add 200 jobs -- a mix of relocated workers and new hires -- over the next four years, officials said Tuesday. The expansion is worth as much as $7.5 million in state incentives, plus $630,000 from Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, if the company meets its hiring and investment goals.

The new jobs are technical roles, including product design for the company's floor-care products, as well as visual branding and electronic interface work for a variety of Electrolux products. Their average annual salary, $90,150, is well above Mecklenburg's average, $51,584.

Electrolux officials expect about half of the jobs to be filled by existing workers in Illinois, South Carolina and Tennessee, who will move to Charlotte, while the remaining jobs will be hired locally, company spokeswoman Caryn Klebba said.
Work on the expansion will begin this summer, and the construction should be finished by the end of the year, she said.

Klebba said a number of factors drove the decision to consolidate the new jobs in Charlotte, rather than in another U.S. location or overseas. But "key were the support of the city, county and state, Charlotte's excellent transportation ... and of course a very strong local talent pool," she said.

Electrolux, whose parent company is based in Stockholm, Sweden, announced in 2009 it would move its North American headquarters to Charlotte, creating 738 jobs -- the biggest job announcement the city had seen in 25 years. The company is one of the largest makers of household and professional appliances, including refrigerators, washers and dryers, vacuum cleaners and cooking equipment.

State and local officials lured Electrolux to Charlotte from Augusta, Ga., with incentives of as much as $27 million if the company meets its original job creation, investment and wage goals.

Electrolux, which also employs more than 600 workers at a dishwasher manufacturing facility in Kinston, has already hired more than 500 workers for its Charlotte headquarters, Klebba said.

"We made a commitment, we're sticking to the commitment, and we're adding more," she said.
To learn more or apply for current job openings at Electrolux in Charlotte, see www.electroluxusa.com.
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