TTI unveils testing center, plans more expansion
Inside a room at Techtronic Industries' new testing center, Vice President John Nixon describes a generator that, when it hits the market, will have less exhaust issues than any now available.
In another room of the 25,000-square-foot facility, which features extra-thick walls, a special roof and special glass windows, power tools will be observed as they are intentionally overheated.
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These were among the features of the high-tech, state-of-the-art testing center that TTI officially unveiled Friday. The center will consolidate testing locations now operating throughout TTI plants around the globe.
But even as Nixon led the tour through the building, earth-moving equipment could be heard just outside its walls. TTI's sales have been so robust in the past year that the building is already being expanded.
Another 13,000 square feet will be added for UL testing, and 3,500 additional square feet will be dedicated to battery testing. That will raise the size of the facility to 41,500 square feet.
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"We just got moved in when we were told that we're expanding again," said Nixon, a Westside High graduate.
The opening and expansion underscores the rapid growth of the TTI campus. The testing center is part of TTI's $75 million innovation center that will bring 250 high-paying jobs to Anderson County. The research facility is a prelude to the addition of a 300,000-square-foot corporate headquarters/innovation center.
Lee Sowell, president of the TTI Outdoor Power Equipment division, said the building has already been redesigned to accommodate soaring sales. It will be four stories instead of the three that were planned last fall, adding 60,000 square feet to the corporate office.
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Sowell also hinted that the distribution center on the same campus, completed just two years ago, might soon be expanded.
"Our corporate earnings were up by $6.1 billion (15 percent) last year. That allows us to do things like we see here today," Sowell told a crowd of well-wishers.
"Our warehouse, which we thought would meet our needs for many years to come, is over 90 percent full," Sowell said. "Either we'll soon have to cut inventory, or make the building bigger. We thought we wouldn't need to make that decision until much later."
Construction of the innovation/manufacturing center, which will be visible near Exit 27 of Interstate 85, is scheduled to begin this summer. Sowell believes it will fuel growth "beyond our expectations."
TTI's Anderson manufacturing plant, now located on Pearman Dairy Road, manufactures lawn and garden products including battery and gas-powered string trimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, pressure washers and portable power generators.
The 25,000-square-foot building also contains emissions testing equipment that verifies engines meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for air quality.
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"Having it all in one place, in a convenient campus, will give us a lot more efficiency," Nixon said of the testing facility.
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The company, which designs and manufactures power tool equipment for at least seven brands, now employs about 1,120 workers in its facility on Pearman Dairy Road and its distribution center at the I-85 site. It is Anderson County's third-largest manufacturing employer behind Electrolux (1,800 employees) and Bosch (1,350 employees).
TTI designs and manufactures power tools and appliances under the brand names Milwaukee, Ryobi, Homelite, Hoover, Oreck, Dirt Devil and others. The company was founded in 1985 and employs approximately 20,000 worldwide.
Its connection to Anderson began with the Singer Corp., which manufactured sewing machines at the facility on Pearman Dairy Road. The company eventually became part of TTI.
The Anderson County Council previously approved a $2.5 million investment in the new project. Those funds, which will come from federal grant money and sewer fees already in place, have provided roads, sewer and water lines.
The county will benefit from nearly $44,000 in corporate taxes. Anderson County Director of Economic Development Burriss Nelson said the total economic impact of the new 413-acre campus will be $64,459 in the first year and $343.8 million over the next 20 years.
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