Virginia Transformer invests 
$2.4 million to expand in Roanoke area

Virginia Transformer Corp., a manufacturer of custom power electric transformers, said Tuesday that it has invested $2.4 million in new construction and equipment in the Roanoke Valley.

Its latest expansion added a 5,400-square-foot addition to a manufacturing plant in Roanoke, boosting the company’s total square footage to 135,000 square feet.

“With annual double-digit growth, Virginia Transformer is preparing for increasing demand globally,” Prabhat Jain, president of Virginia Transformer, said in a statement.  “Our recent investments will help us expand capacity and increase efficiency in order to better serve our customers while also demonstrating our commitment to the region as we continue to hire local talent.”

Under a new alliance with a Georgia-based Efacec plant, Virginia Transformer is the nation’s second-largest provider of custom-engineered power electrical transformers. It serves the utility, renewable energy, industrial, mining, oil and gas industries and commercial, institutional, specialty and export markets in power ranges from 500 kilovolts to 500 million volt amps (MVA).

Other recent projects in the Roanoke area have included new equipment such as the addition of a new cutting machine, paint booth and air-pellet system.

Work is underway now on an upgrade and expansion of the company’s final testing area, which is scheduled for completion by July.

In 2013, Virginia Transformer invested $4.5 million to complete a 39,000-square-foot facility in Troutville, a project that bumped the company’s total space there to 125,000 square feet.
  

“Our recent investments increase our total contribution of more than $40 million annually to the local economy through payroll, taxes, vendors and partners,” Jain said.

According to Virginia Transformer, it produces one of the broadest ranges of small and medium power transformers available from a single source. With transformers in 40 countries, it has facilities and offices in Virginia, Idaho, Mexico and India.