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IFA expansion completed in Summerville

Staff Report //July 28, 2020//

IFA expansion completed in Summerville

Staff Report //July 28, 2020//

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The expanded facility at the Charleston Trade Center will allow IFA to consolidate its operations into one building. (Photo/Provided)

Construction is finished on the expansion of IFA Group’s 448,765-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility at the Charleston Trade Center in Summerville.

The company, based in Haldensleben, Germany, manufactures driveshafts for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles; customers include BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes, among other major automakers.

The facility, which is now more than double the original, 211,000-square-foot operation, opened in March 2018 at 553 Trade Center Parkway in Summerville. The company will close a second facility in Ladson and consolidate operations at the expanded facility.

Frampton Construction Co. LLC provided planning and design support for the project, including preconstruction and construction services the company said in a news release. McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture provided design work.

The Keith Corp., based in Charlotte, owns the IFA site and was the developer of the project. Frampton Construction said the expansion used tilt-up concrete construction panels against a steel structure reaching 32 feet tall. Frampton, which also provided an upfit on part of the existing building, said the project was delivered a month ahead of schedule.

“The IFA team is extremely satisfied with the completion of our Charleston expansion project,” Lu Reckmann, CEO of IFA North America, said in a statement. “Throughout the construction process, we were impressed with the quality of communication, design adaptability, and overall execution of the final product.”

Chad Frampton, president and CEO of Frampton Construction, praised IFA and Keith Corp. as partners on the project.

“We look forward to seeing IFA’s continued growth, and hopefully we’ll have the chance to partner with them again,” Frampton said in a statement.

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