Ambassador Schneebauer Attends Plasser American Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in Chesapeake, VA

© ÖB Washington / Lack
Left to right: Plasser American CEO Thomas Blechinger, Plasser & Theurer CEO Johannes Max-Theurer, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Trade and Commerce Chelsea Jenkins, Virginia Governor Youngkin, Austrian Ambassador to U.S. Petra Schneebauer, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, Plasser & Theurer shareholder Victoria Max-Theurer, Plasser & Theurer Beteiligungs-und Finanzierungs AG board member Thorsten Bode.

Ambassador Petra Schneebauer attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Plasser American’s new rail maintenance facility in Chesapeake, VA on October 5, 2023. Plasser American is a subsidiary of the Austrian parent company, Plasser & Theurer, a leading manufacturer of rail maintenance equipment. Plasser American was established in the United States in 1961 and has been operating in Chesapeake since 1970. Its new manufacturing facility in Chesapeake is 82,000 square-feet and will bring about 75 new jobs with it.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also attended the ceremony and suggested that the expansion is opportune in the sense that it comes at a time when freight rail is expected to undergo explosive growth around the country. "That creates opportunities, and those opportunities translate into investments here and that translates to opportunities for Virginians," Youngkin said.

In her speech, Ambassador Schneebauer similarly underscored the timeliness of the Austrian investment in the U.S. rail sector and also pointed to the environmental benefits of sustainable travel by rail. “Let me congratulate Plasser American on an impressive 43 million USD investment here in Virginia that already created 45 new jobs with another 75 planned. This is a major step forward which comes at a crucial moment in time with major public investments into the U.S. railroad infrastructure underway. With your innovative technology you will not only improve the rail network in the U.S. but also contribute substantially to sustainable mobility in the U.S.”

The opening of Plasser American’s new production facility will allow Plasser to double its productive capacity ahead of the expected rail sector boom following historic federal investment in the 2021 passage of the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.” Beyond creating new jobs, Plasser also intends to expand its apprenticeship programs.

© ÖB Washington / Lack
Left to right: Plasser American CEO Thomas Blechinger, Austrian Ambassador to U.S. Petra Schneebauer, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West.