The former Efacec Power Transformer facility in Rincon is poised for growth with a new ownership and management team infusing financial stability and strategic direction with a commitment to add 150-200 jobs over the next three years.

The facility held a ribbon-cutting on Saturday with dozens of invited guests and elected officials.

With a new name – Georgia Transformer – the 225,000-square-foot plant is investing in new processes and tools to meet demand for large, custom-designed and manufactured transformers sold primarily to power utility and renewable power generation customers across North America and Central America for use in the complex process of supplying power to homes and businesses.

“We are leveraging the engineering and manufacturing successes of the past and building on the proud heritage here to grow in Rincon,” said Neerja Gursahaney, managing director and owner of Caravels LLC, a woman- and minority-owned business that purchased the facility from Efacec Energia at the end of 2014. The new ownership is emphasizing training, increased efficiency and the importance of reliability and quality.

Caravels has a strategic alliance with Virginia Transformer Corp., of Roanoke, Va., creating the nation’s second-largest transformer manufacturing business by capacity and size, and the third largest in revenue, while providing its customers with a broad range of transformers and proven engineering and manufacturing solutions.

The acquisition preserved more than 200 jobs by keeping the facility open and no layoffs have occurred. “We’re building on the foundations Efacec established for engineering designs, quality and manufacturing with business processes and planning tools that will increase production to meet our customers’ needs, resulting in the addition of future jobs,” Gursahaney said. “We are committed to Rincon and the greater Savannah community as we plan to grow production with highly paid local jobs.”

Georgia Transformer, on Highway 21, is hosting an invitation-only grand re-opening event on Sept. 26 at 10:30 a.m.

The manufacturing facility opened in early 2010. The plant is a climate-controlled environment to assure pressure, humidity and temperature controls needed to produce power transformers. In 2014, the facility delivered 34 transformers. That number will be exceeded this year.

While the manufacturing center has a new name, the new ownership and previous owner, Group Efacec, have a mutually beneficial relationship whereby Efacec continues to provide engineering training and support as needed to Georgia Transformer’s growing engineering team. In turn, Georgia Transformer provides U.S. commercial and field service support to Efacec.