The East Coast operation of a California firm will create up to 400 jobs for the area at its new facility in Londonderry.
EFI, a global technology company based in Fremont, Calif., will begin construction on its new facility on Innovation Way, off Pettengill Road, in about two weeks, according to Manchester-based developer Dick Anagnost.
According to its Web site, EFI “helps businesses and enterprises work more productively and cost-effectively with an integrated product portfolio consisting of industrial inkjet printers and inks, powerful digital front ends, precise color management tools, eCommerce, web-to- print and productivity software for business automation, and mobile and cloud printing products.”
In a phone interview last week, Anagnost said the project has been in the works for about two years. It covers 17 acres of land owned by the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, which EFI will lease. The 49-year lease was executed last week.
Plans call for a 300,000-square- foot building, with 240,000 square feet in the first phase, Anagnost said.
The project passed the Planning Board last year, he said. The company has filed for a building permit, filed for an Intent To Cut certificate, and filed for its FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approval, he said.
The first phase is expected to be finished within 20 months, according to Anagnost.
Anagnost said EFI’s arrival will benefit the area in several ways. It will increase the tax base in Londonderry; create new jobs; and because EFI does business in 133 countries, increase air traffic and business in the area, as employees from around the world come to Londonderry for training or purchasing trips.
The company has a facility in Meredith with 100 employees, who will be offered jobs in the Londonderry plant. The Meredith plant is slated to be closed. The company Web site also lists a facility in West Lebanon.
The company’s Web site said of the move, “The new EFI Inkjet center will allow consolidation of operations into a single facility and include research and development, manufacturing, warehousing, training and service for EFI VUTEk® and EFI Wide
Format printers, along with worldwide sales and marketing management for EFI’s broader portfolio of narrow, wide- and superwide-format industrial inkjet printers and presses. A new, state-of- the-art customer briefing and demo center in the facility will house EFI Inkjet production printers for signage and graphics, textile and label applications, along with related EFI Productivity Software and EFI Fiery® digital front end workflow products.”
Scott Schinlever, the company’s senior vice-president and general manager, wrote in a press release, “EFI’s annual Inkjet revenues are closing in on $500 million, and it is happening because our customers are capitalizing on new market opportunities using our expanding portfolio of industrial inkjet printers. With the growth we are witnessing in LED inkjet and other key production applications, we have outgrown our existing facilities.”
Schinlever added, “While we are extremely grateful to have been part of the very welcoming business community in Meredith, relocating to the Manchester area comes with some key advantages to help us continue growing, including proximity to the tremendous pool of talent in the greater Boston metropolitan region.” Neighbors of EFI will include F.W. Webb’s new distribution center, opening in fall of next year (see related story page 8); the FedEx facility; and the UPS and Pratt and Whitney logistics center.