Belgium company Hammer-IMS expands operations to Upstate

DUNCAN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - More international businesses are beginning to call the Upstate home.

Hammer-IMS, a technology company from Belgium, opened its first American operation in Spartanburg County on Wednesday at the Spark Center on the Spartanburg Community College Tyger River Campus.

“The goal is to actually build the business bigger here than we have in Europe,” said Hammer-IMS President Noel Deferm.

With 15 employees, Deferm admits he didn’t know much about the Upstate or South Carolina before he visited for the first time nearly one year ago.

“A lot of businesses are growing here, and you have BMW here, you have Michelin here, and I think they attract smaller supplying companies with technology and basic supplies,” he said.

Bringing international business to the area has been a priority for OneSpartanburg, Inc.

“We spend a lot of effort and resources recruiting those, but the good news is that they’re finding us too,” said OneSpartanburg, Inc. Chief Business Affairs Officer John Kimbrell.

Kimbrell says that in Spartanburg County alone there are more than 100 international businesses.

“We’re obviously a great place to live, at least we believe we are, and so jobs bring people, and it brings opportunities for families,” he said.

“I think the nice thing about this region actually is that sometimes it keeps me thinking about Europe,” said Deferm.

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