Zarges was founded in 1933 in Weilheim, Germany, by the Zarges brothers and manufactures specialty aluminum products. Today, Zarges employs 1,600 people in six countries: Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, India, and the USA. Zarges has four product lines: wind, air, logistics equipment and access technology. One of the product lines offered by Zarges is tower fittings (service lifts, ladders and tower platforms) for the wind industry.
In 2008, the Zarges wind division realized the potential for extensive growth in the wind energy industry in the United States. Zarges had European turbine manufacturers as customers and realized that a United States manufacturing facility would be necessary to serve their customers who were also in the process of entering the U.S. market.
In February of 2008, Zarges met business development managers from the Amarillo EDC at a meeting in Berlin, Germany that was hosted by the State of Texas and the German American Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the wind boom in the U.S. and more specifically, the many opportunities and advantages of locating to Texas.
After studying the potential U.S. market, Zarges selected Amarillo, Texas as its U.S. manufacturing and distribution facility. The reasons for selecting Amarillo were:
Incentives offered to Zarges were a $4.2 million state-of-the art build-to-suit facility that the Amarillo EDC will construct and lease back to Zarges. The lease cost will be offset by local spending and job creation grants. In addition, the Amarillo EDC agreed to provide up to $100,000 in training dollars through Amarillo College. The Amarillo EDC also applied for a Texas Enterprise Grant on Zarges’ behalf, adding another $400,000 to the incentive package.
