Area Development
Dell has closed its Winston-Salem, North Carolina, desktop computer production plant, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The company had operations at the 750,000-square-foot facility for six years.

"We're proud of our North Carolina team members, the outstanding products they produced for our customers over the past five years, and of the contributions they made to the Piedmont Triad," said Dell spokesperson David Frink.

Dell has agreed to repay $26.5 million in local incentives. If it had stayed open through October 2010, it could have kept half of the local incentives it was granted.

"Dell prefers to sell the plant to a single buyer, but has expressed a willingness to be flexible for leasing it on a long-term basis," said Chris Skibinski, the managing director of logistics and industrial properties for Jones Lang LaSalle's Charlotte office.

Caterpillar is building its new facility just steps away from the Dell facility, and may attract some laid-off workers.