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Big Flats lands Swiss firm

Town chosen by Synthes-Stratec as site for medical products facility.

By Jeff Murray
Star-Gazette
April 25, 2001

BIG FLATS - A Swiss biotechnology company will bring 300 jobs to Chemung County over the next five years.

Gov. George Pataki was in the Elmira area Tuesday to announce that manufacturer Synthes-Stratec Inc. and its U.S. branch, Synthes North America, will invest $11.4 million to build a 100,000-square-foot facility in the town of Big Flats.

The plant will either end up at Airport Corporate Park or on county-owned land near the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport. In the meantime, Synthes will occupy a building at The Center at Horseheads and will initially employ about 100 people.

Synthes-Stratec is a leading provider of medical instruments and orthopedic implants for markets in North and South America and Europe.

Attracting such a company is a real coup for Chemung County and the state, Pataki told a gathering of
government and business leaders at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport on Tuesday.

"We competed with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Birmingham, Alabama, and we got Synthes right here in the Southern Tier," Pataki said. "This is a tremendous success story, and another symbol to the rest of the world of what is happening in Upstate New York. Global companies that could locate anywhere in the world are saying 'This is the place to be.' "

County officials have been negotiating with Synthes since November. The company considered 10 locations all over the country, said Michael Huggins, president of Synthes North America.

Chemung County eventually rose to the top as the company examined each area, Huggins said.

"This is a big deal for us. We do not make these kinds of decisions quickly," he said. "When we come to a place, we're here to stay. About two months into the process, we realized Chemung County was a very viable option. We knew the quality of the people in this county. It's a highly skilled hard-working work force. We feel the skill level in this area is unsurpassed."

The new arrival could be good news for skilled workers on the unemployment line.

Corning Inc. recently laid off 573 unionized employees and 354 temporary workers from its Erwin photonics plant. Thomas and Betts in Horseheads, which makes products for the cable TV industry, recently laid off 110 employees.

Former workers from both of those facilities would be a good fit at the new Synthes plant, Huggins said.

The company will probably hold a job fair in the near future to screen potential employees and should start hiring in June, he said.

Huggins said salaried and hourly employees will be hired. He described the pay scale as "very competitive."

Synthes-Stratec has 3,140 employees worldwide and has annual sales of about $587 million.

While the local labor pool is attractive, it still took some financial incentives to clinch the deal. Utilizing New York's Empire Zone program, officials were able to offer an incentive package totaling $14 million in financial assistance and tax credits over 14 years.

Local officials were ecstatic that Synthes North America is coming to town.

"We've hit another home run," said Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli, who said Tuesday's announcement caps a year of great economic news for the county.

"Synthes is the icing on the cake," said George Miner, president of Southern Tier Economic Growth. "We should be saying 'wow' that these people came here."

Synthes-Stratec

- What: A Swiss-based manufacturing company with a U.S. subsidiary, Synthes North America, headquartered in West Chester, Pa.

- Products: Medical devices for the operative treatment of bone fractures and for artificial joint replacements. The company also manufactures power tools for use in bone surgery.

- Company profile: 3,140 employees worldwide. Annual sales of about $587 million in U.S. dollars. Core markets are in North America, Latin America and Western Europe.

- Local presence: Synthes North America will build a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the town of Big Flats and employ up to 300 people in high-tech jobs over a five-year period.

New jobs

The Twin Tiers will gain hundreds of jobs in the coming years as major manufacturers open facilities or expand. Some of the firms:

- Vulcraft, a steel-fabricating plant, will bring 300 jobs to the town of Chemung when it opens this summer.

- Mill's Pride in Athens Township, which produces lumber and hardwood doors, has 300 employees now but would like to expand to 700 workers by next year.

Northeast Data Services, at Artistic Plaza on Lake Street in Elmira, will sign a five-year lease at Trinity Industrial Park and double its work force - to 200 - by the end of the year.

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