Paulding County Economic Development (PCED) and RONCHI America, LLC. announced Monday that RONCHI Mario, S.p.A of Milan, Italy, one of the world's leading manufacturers of high speed flow meter based liquid filling and automated packaging machinery for the personal care, house hold cleaner and pharmaceutical industries has selected Paulding County for its new U.S. headquarters location.

The facility will include RONCHI America's administrative, sales, spare parts, service, assembly, warehouse and shipping/receiving operations.

Michele Falsini, Director of U.S. Operations for RONCHI America, LLC. said the decision to locate in Paulding County was an easy one. "RONCHI America required a location that was convenient and accessible for our U.S. and Canadian customers. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Hiram's ideal location just outside of Atlanta made it the right choice for our U.S. market expansion plans. The newly opened Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport also offers our customers the option to use corporate air travel for simple and direct business travel to Paulding County. We also required an area that offered a skilled workforce capable of facilitating our growth in North America, as well as a community that was pro-business.

Paulding County met and exceeded all of these requirements. I want to thank Jamie Gilbert (PCED Executive Director) and Tommie Graham (Paulding County Post 3 Commissioner) for their assistance, support and guidance that they have provided to RONCHI America throughout our site selection process and continue to provide for the startup of operations. Their interest to our inquiries and their prompt support proved instrumental in our selection of Paulding County and Hiram."

Established more than 40 years ago in Italy by Mario Ronchi, RONCHI is a family owned business that has developed an impressive worldwide customer base that includes many major companies such as Procter and Gamble, Unilever, L'OREAL and Johnson & Johnson. RONCHI America's new operation will be located at 63 Duncan Circle in Hiram. The company purchased the 10,000 square foot building on April 16 and expects to be operational by the end of July.

RONCHI America plans to employ ten associates within the first twelve months and that number is expected to increase to thirty-five as additional manufacturing and service capabilities are introduced to the facility.

"On behalf of the Paulding County Board of Commissioners, Paulding Chamber of Commerce, Cities of Dallas and Hiram, and Paulding County Industrial Building Authority we are very pleased and excited that RONCHI America has chosen our community as its new home.", said Jamie Gilbert, PCED's Executive Director. Gilbert added, "RONCHI is an outstanding international company and a leader in the packaging equipment industry. Their equipment is among the finest in the industry which is why many of the world's most prestigious corporations turn to RONCHI for their bottling & liquid filling solutions. RONCHI America and Interroll's new Regional Center of Excellence that will open in October are confirmation that Paulding is an outstanding location for both international businesses and the machinery and equipment industry." Gilbert thanked Commissioner Graham, the Paulding Chamber of Commerce, City of Hiram, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Department of Labor for their assistance throughout the RONCHI America recruitment process.

About Ronchi Mario SpA

The considerable increase of sale volumes, has determined the necessity for Ronchi of operating in a most appropriate production plant, allowing to increase the production capability and to project the right image of a company that has become a leader in the field of filling machines for the chemical, cosmetic, and food sectors. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding, the Company has inaugurated the new and very modern plant of Gessate, built over an area of 20,000 m2, 12,000 of which fully covered. A dedicated, suitably equipped testing department permits Ronchi to duplicate the real situations in which the machines must operate. This allows selecting the most ideal solutions for the handling of a specific product. Once the manufacturing is completed, each machine is transferred to the new acceptance department, thus allowing Ronchi customers to completely test, prior delivery, their machines and lines with all bottle and cap formats, and even with the final product.