An Italian provider of material-handling equipment for industries ranging from warehousing to airports and tire plants is setting up its own U.S. factory in Coweta County. Cassiloli USA Corp. first touched down in Atlanta more than a decade ago, setting up a sales office in 2009. 

But the drive toward increased productivity in U.S. factories necessitated the search for a permanent manufacturing base closer to customers, resulting in the 20,000-square-foot plant that opened in Newnan earlier this year — its first in the U.S. The footprint includes warehouse and office space, as well as room for a planned expansion over five years.