WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins is pleased to announce that the first VingTech Optronics facility in North America will be located in the Biddeford Industrial Plaza in Biddeford, Maine. The announcement came after Senator Collins met with a leadership delegation from VingTech and Biddeford city officials today in her Washington, D.C. office. The new facility is expected to initially create 20-40 new jobs in the first two years of operation in the Biddeford-Saco area.
“I am very excited to announce that VingTech has decided to expand its operations by locating its newest production facility right here in Maine,” noted Senator Collins. “This will be a great facility with cutting-edge technology and good pay for employees. I am proud that, in making the decision to locate in Biddeford, the company noted the strong Maine work ethic. This commitment from VingTech is an indication that Maine can be successful in attracting new industries and is another example of what can happen when federal, state, and local governments work together to create opportunities for new and existing companies to grow and expand. We are very appreciative of this commitment and I wish VingTech and its employees the best of luck in this new facility.”
Jon Asbjorn Bo, CEO of Simrad Optronics, VingTech’s parent company, said the decision to establish the VingTech manufacturing facility in Maine was an easy one after visiting the state and meeting with Governor John Baldacci, the DECD and Biddeford’s municipal officials.
“We are happy to expand our business into Maine and to be able to utilize the state’s skilled and dedicated work force,” said Asbjorn Bo. “We conducted an extensive search throughout New England and Maine offered all of the right reasons to come here with local and state and federal support, Pine Tree Zone benefits, the work ethic of the residents and the quality of life. It was a perfect fit.”
Asbjorn Bo said that besides topographical similarities to Norway and the natural beauty of Maine, the support his company received from Biddeford Mayor Wallace Nutting and City Economic Development Director Robert Dodge, as well as Senator Collins, were also key factors in the decision to establish VingTech in Maine.
VingTech, is the subsidiary of Simrad Optronics, a Norwegian electro-optical manufacturer headquartered in Oslo. Founded in 1948, the company manufactures military electro-optics and supplies defense and security sighting and infrared systems to the United States military, NATO, and over 40 other nations. The company had 2005 revenues in excess of $38 million.