Miura Boiler - Low NOx Industrial Steam Boilers; Steam Generators, Hot Water Boilers, Ancillary Products

Full Steam Ahead
Rockmart's latest manufacturing success story, MIURA BOILER , shows us why there's more to "green" Japanese thinking than a dollop of wasabi.

In a recession, such as the one Americans are now experiencing, a single company can have a huge influence on the economic health of a region. Fortunately for some of those most affected by the slow-down, one foreign manufacturer is hoping to do just that as it builds its North American home here in Northwest Georgia. Based in Japan, Miura Boiler, the world's largest industrial boiler manufacturer, opened the doors of its first U.S. plant in the spring of 2009, just off of Highway 101 in Rockmart, and has been a positive player in the region during its first few months of operation.

Not only does a large corporation like Miura help to whittle down the unemployment line, but it also provides a huge boost in the bottom lines of some important area suppliers. "I think we've had a big impact on the local economy," says Miura purchasing and procurement specialist, Ken Wright. "The metal and steel fabrication shops, stamp and die shops, are getting a lot of business from us. A lot of our local suppliers were working three, four-day weeks. Now most of them are up to five."

In its first year of production at the Rockmart plant, Miura has added 50 employees to its ranks and plans to increase that total to 300 in the next couple of years. Many of these positions will be for highly skilled welders and electrician's, whose lines of work have been hit especially hard in the last year. If past success is an indicator, Miura's potential for growth in North America is very promising. The company, founded in 1927 with headquarters in Matsuyama, Japan, controls roughly 65 percent of the market share in Japan alone, and is the top boiler manufacturer in all of Asia. "Miura group has now grown into an entity achieving annual sales of over 60 billion yen ($680 million)," writes company CEO and chairman, Shozo Shiraishi.

The new plant in Rockmart is hoping to increase these already impressive sales figures in the coming years, as it grows its production capacity from 100 boilers annually in 2009 to 1,000 by 2012. The stat sheet for Miura's boilers is rather impressive. As the industry leader in green technology and innovation, Miura has set itself apart from competitors by satisfying the new needs and standards of industrial entities that are becoming increasingly aware of their negative environmental impacts, as well as the economic benefits of sustainable practices.