Sumitomo Machinery investing $10 million in Chesapeake headquarters expansion

Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America (SMA) is investing $10 million to expand its Chesapeake headquarters. The project will create 26 jobs.

The company also is moving its Suffolk operation to Chesapeake, which will result in the transfer of 20 jobs.

SMA makes power transmission components. It is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, one of the largest manufacturers of machinery in Japan.

SMA plans to add 100,000 square feet to its Chesapeake headquarters, where it now employs 220 people. The 250,000-square-foot headquarters at the Cavalier Industrial Park serves as the company’s main manufacturing plant for North and South America.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Chesapeake with the project. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

SMA also has a facility in Verona’s Mill Place Commerce Park, where it is moving into a new, larger facility over the next few months. The company has other operations throughout the Americas, including Chicago, Louisville, Ky., and Corona, Calif. in the United States.