LEXINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) — A new business is rolling into Davidson county and bringing hundreds of good paying jobs with it.
Siemens Mobility’s arrival is set to showcase what made in America looks like in the future, and it’s all launching in Lexington.
Davidson County was built on the furniture industry. When the warehouses closed, a lot of jobs and people left the area. With a global rail system moving in, the area is headed into the 21st century.
“In the last 10 to 12 years, we’ve seen a rebirth in advanced manufacturing, and a lot of our advanced manufacturing companies today are lean, clean, highly automated, and they need skilled workers,” said Dr. Jonathan Brown, the associate vice president of workforce for Davidson-Davie Community College.
They will build rail technology and create a passenger coach manufacturing facility and a first of its kind repair center for rail transportation vehicles.
“It’s a game changer for our community, especially one that’s been hit by textile and furniture jobs that have left,” Lexington Mayor Jason Hayes said.
When you drive through Lexington, you’ll pass abandoned warehouses with broken windows and chained up doors.
Decades ago, the buildings and the people working in them put Davidson County on the map.
“I think we will always have and be thankful to our furniture industry and all they did for our communities,” Dr. Brown said. “But it’s a great day for the town of Lexington and Davidson County.”
Brown hopes the people Siemens employs are graduates of his school.
“It’ll be getting with the company to kind of see what skill set these employees will need, and then it’ll be up to us then to train the students and then more importantly, help the company Siemens with the recruiting process,” he said.
Starting in 2024, Siemens Mobility will need to fill 506 jobs at its rail services center in Lexington, which will take up 200 acres on Brown Street near the Davidson County Airport.
“We’ll have folks that want to stay here, want to live here, want to raise their families here and with those living wage jobs, it makes it all the more attainable,” Mayor Hayes said.
The jobs come with an average salary of $51,000.
Dr. Brown said the transition from hand crafted furniture to high tech rail cars is building upon the county’s rich manufacturing history.
“Sometimes, there is a little hesitation when you have growth and progress, but it is a good thing for our communities, and I truly believe that Siemens will be a great partner for Davidson County,” he said.
This announcement goes beyond the Piedmont Triad.
Having Siemens here is expected to grow our state’s economy up to $1.6 billion over the next decade. County leaders hope more manufacturing companies see the value of being in Davidson County.
