After more than 20 years in eastern Iowa, a German company has built a new plant and offices. Group Schumacher will hold a celebration in Durant on Thursday.
Director of North American Business Development, Tim Chen, says the company makes components for harvesting equipment, and when it opened in 1994, production was in nearby Stockton, with offices and the warehouse in Durant.
Now they're all together.
"We have about 36 people here right now. I think we've added a few since we moved over here. The objective really is to invest in long-term growth so it will mean more local employment over time."
Chen says Schumacher was founded in Germany, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. It also has plants in Europe, Russia, and Brazil.
"We chose Durant years ago - it's a small town, actually much larger than the town in Germany where the company started. It's in the kind of agricultural breadbasket, and it's close to I-80. It's really the perfect location for us."
The family-owned company spent about 4 million dollars to build the new plant and offices in Durant.
