Ritz Instruments Expands US Footprint into Burke County

German manufacturer Ritz Instrument Transformer has announced it plans to expand its operations in Georgia and will invest $28 million in a new plant in Waynesboro that will create 130 jobs.

Ritz develops and produces instrument transformers from 600 volts to 500 kilovolts.

The Hamburg, Germany-based company operates two plants in Georgia.

A temporary facility in Burke County currently supports 30 jobs, which will be transferred to the new plant in Waynesboro.

Ritz opened its first high-voltage instrument transformer factory in the US in Waynesboro, GA in 1991, which was later sold in 2006 as part of a broader restructuring of the company.

Ritz built a new factory in Lavonia, GA in the Gateway II Industrial Park in 2009 to produce low-voltage and medium-voltage instrument transformers and expanded that facility in 2016 to produce high-voltage capacitor voltage transformers.

The Lavonia facility was again expanded in 2019 as Ritz closed one of its facilities in Germany and transferred the bulk of that capacity to the US.

In 2023, Ritz opened an operation in Waynesboro, GA to begin the manufacture of inductive-type high-voltage instrument transformers in a leased facility and these existing jobs and operations will be transferred to the new facility, once it is completed.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced the Ritz expansion Tuesday at a trade conference in Italy.

“Like so many other job creators, Ritz knows that Georgia has what it needs to succeed, and we’re proud they’ve chosen the best state for business yet again for this expansion,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We’ve worked hard to bring opportunity like this to rural Georgia, and we’re proud this project adds even more jobs to one of those target areas following our face-to-face meeting with Ritz during our travel to Germany in 2023. I look forward to the growing impact Ritz will have on Burke County and the surrounding region in the years to come.”

“The investment in a new state-of-the-art factory for high-voltage instrument transformers in Waynesboro marks the single-largest investment to date for the Ritz Group and illustrates the company’s commitment to the North American market,” said Ritz USA CEO and General Manager Scott Flowers. “We are excited to call Waynesboro our long-term home. The availability of a well-trained workforce and the support extended by
Burke County and the State of Georgia made Waynesboro the obvious choice for Ritz. The U.S. electrical grid is undergoing rapid expansion and transformation as the utility industry reacts to and prepares for growth driven by the adoption of electric vehicles, new data centers needed to power AI, continued addition of renewable generation, and an increase in the U.S. manufacturing base.”

Ritz’s new facility will be located at Burke County Industrial Park. The site will produce high-voltage instrument transformers, and operations are expected to begin in late 2025.

Ritz will be hiring for roles in management, administrative staff, technicians, operators, maintenance, and testers over the next few years. Interested individuals can learn more about careers with Ritz at ritzusa.com/careers.

Ritz Instrument Transformers is a private company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany with over 1,300 employees working in nine facilities around the world and is a leading manufacturer of instrument transformers and SIS insulated bus systems.