Busche, a company specializing in the machining of intricate castings and forgings for the automobile, construction, agricultural, and medium duty truck Industries, finalized negotiations with CR Compressors, a subsidiary of Emerson Electric's Emerson Climate Technologies, to acquire its 263,000-square-foot manufacturing complex located on 48 acres near Hartselle, Alabama.

Busche purchased the campus, which housed the former Copeland Corp along Interstate 65 at Thompson Road, with plans to produce value added long-term machining contract work. With very few large machining organizations in the South, Nick A. Busche, CEO and President of Busche, said he saw this move as a win-win situation for both Busche and its customers logistically. The investment cost was not disclosed.

Alabama is positioned with numerous major automotive manufacturing facilities located close by, such as Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Volkswagen. The trend of many Original Equipment Manufacturers has been to build and expand in the Southern regions. The Alabama location is close to several suppliers of intricate raw castings and forgings requiring the complex machining capabilities Busche provides, the company explained. The new location will also allow Busche to offer a more competitive answer to growing freight costs.

Governor Robert Bentley said he sees the move as a win-win situation, both for Alabama's economy and the residents who Busche will employ in the state. "With employment levels expected to grow to more than 200 employees within the next three years, Busche will be a major contributor to Alabama's economic prosperity. We appreciate the fact that they chose Alabama for this plant and look forward to working with them in the future."

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said; "With Alabama rapidly on the way to becoming the third largest automotive producing state in the country, we welcome Busche as our latest supplier and thank them for the confidence they have shown in Alabama's business climate." Information on incentives offered the firm was not immediately available.