Made in America: Lenovo Opens Its First PC Manufacturing Facility in the U.S.

It's official, Lenovo now has an operational PC manufacturing plant in the U.S. Sure, the majority of its operations are still taking place overseas, but that's of little consequence to the people employed at the new facility in Whitsett, North Carolina. The grand opening was also a big deal for the locals, with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and other "prominent local dignitaries" attending the ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this week.

Lenovo's 240,000 square-foot Whitsett facility created 115 new manufacturing jobs in North Carolina and is on pace to fully ramp up production by the end of the month, the world's second largest PC maker said. In addition to manufacturing, it also serves as a logistics center, customer solutions center, and national returns center. The plant is estimated to increase state output by more than $1 billion, according to recent analysis by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Lenovo M92p

"Lenovo has achieved record growth and market share in the U.S. PC market, and the Whitsett manufacturing facility will enable us to further expand our presence here," said Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO, Lenovo. "The facility is a demonstration of our commitment to and confidence in the North American market, and we see tremendous opportunities for the continued growth and development of our manufacturing footprint here in the United States."

Some of Lenovo's newest products are produced at the Whitsett plant, including the ThinkCentre M92p Tiny desktop, ThinkPad Tablet 2, ThinkPad Helix convertible Ultrabook, and more. To kick off the opening, Lenovo donated 36 ThinkCentre desktops made at the plant to the Greensboror YMCA for use in its youth development and education programs.

Lenovo's in good shape these days. While other PC makers are struggling to cope with slumping computer sales, Lenovo posted record PC sales this past quarter as its profit soared 90 percent.