Fab Fours Inc., one of Lancaster County’s small-industry success stories, is doubling its workforce, saying big sales growth is driving the expansion.
The company, which manufactures aftermarket bumpers for vehicles, announced plans Friday to add 88 employees and spend $5.7 million adding equipment to its plant off Riverside Road. It now has about 80 employees.
With the new workers, Fab Fours’ employment will have increased more than tenfold since it moved to Lancaster County just seven years ago.
CEO Greg Higgs said the equipment upgrades will make the company’s manufacturing processes more efficient and productive. It is already one of the world’s biggest producers of aftermarket bumpers, he said.
“All the improvements to our facility and additional staffing will enable us to continue meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations,” Higgs said.
Fab Fours makes steel bumpers and other customized auto accessories. Several of its bumpers are on Lancaster County Fire Rescue pickups and service vehicles.
“Fab Fours makes some of the coolest aftermarket parts in America,” said Jamie Gilbert, the county’s economic development director.
Gilbert called the expansion announcement a Christmas gift for the community, a clear signal of what happens when a skilled workforce combines with a “friendly business climate.”
“Fab Fours’ growth since coming here has been nothing short of phenomenal,” Gilbert said.
Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement that South Carolina’s pro-business philosophy that includes a talented workforce and “critical infrastructure” provides industry with what it needs to thrive.
“Our state has so much to offer companies looking for a place to call home, and we congratulate Fab Fours on its decision to invest further in Lancaster County,” McMaster said.
At a special meeting Thursday afternoon, Lancaster County Council held a public hearing, and afterward, unanimously passed third reading of a Fee-in-Lieu and Special Source Revenue Credits agreement with Fab Fours.
“Lancaster County couldn’t be more excited that Fab Fours will significantly expand their Lancaster County operations with many new jobs and a major investment in the facility,” said county council Chairman Steve Harper.
The company touts American products made by American workers.
When Fab Fours came here in 2010, it had 14 employees. They are a past winner of the county’s Small Industry of the Year award and are active in the local community.
The company moved to the old Berkshire Weaving plant on Industrial Park Road (Foster Industrial Park) in 2015 from the Pinnacle Building on Camp Creek Road because it needed more space.
“It’s a local company that believes in hiring local folks, and they’re doing well,” said Lancaster County Administrator Steve Willis.
Gilbert said the county hopes to attract big employers to the area, but that broad business growth from smaller industries better sustains the local economy in the long haul.
“Ocassionally, you are blessed with the corporate type centers with hundreds of employees like we have seen in the Indian Land area,” he said.
But when it comes to manufacturing, Gilbert called the creation of 25 to 75 new jobs a “sweet spot.”
“If you give me 10 companies with 30 local employees each, that’s 300 jobs,” Gilbert said.
By Gregory A. Summers, Staff Reporter with The Lancaster News