250 new jobs are coming to Wayne County, West Virginia.

Allevard Sogefi, along with several local and state leaders announced the jobs during a news conference on Tuesday.

Officials say the company will soon add a new production line to its auto parts plant in Prichard.

According to a news release from Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, the agreement was struck last month in France when the governor met with the Sogefi Group CEO Guglielmo Fiocchi. The meeting was part of his European investment mission.

"West Virginia offers tremendous value for businesses who need a top-notch workforce and a winning business climate,” Gov. Tomblin said. “Sogefi’s expansion underscores the competitive edge that’s attracting more and more businesses to our state.”

“I’ve said time and again, I will go anywhere to bring more good-paying jobs to West Virginia,” Gov. Tomblin continued. “When I met with Mr. Fiocchi last month in France, he praised West Virginia’s hardworking people and his company’s experience in the state. Sogefi’s decision to grow its Wayne County operation is a vote of confidence in all the things we’ve done to make West Virginia a great place to do business.”

Sogefi’s Wayne County plant, which opened in 2004, manufactures parts for automobile engines, including fuel pumps, fuel filters, and oil filters. Parts from the company’s West Virginia plant are used by global automotive giants including Toyota, Ford, Fiat, Chrysler, BMW, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, and Kia. The plant produces more than 5 million pumps and filters every year.

The $20 million expansion will allow the company to add engine intake manifolds to the product line.

An intake manifold delivers the combustion air that powers an automobile engine. The Prichard plant will manufacture intake manifolds for General Motors, adding yet another major auto producer to the plant’s customer list.

The plant will continue manufacturing integrated fluid filtration products.

“The plant that we opened in West Virginia in 2004 was the first entry of Sogefi S.p.A into North America,” said Fiocchi. “Our company has had great success in West Virginia, and we consider the partnership with the state and local government officials to be important factors.”

“I am pleased about the great news for Wayne County and the entire region. Sogefi is growing and that means our economy is improving,” said Gary Walton, president of the Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO). “When HADCO built the spec building that grew into Allevard Sogefi USA, Inc., this was exactly what our board of directors envisioned: more employment and more private investment. This development would not have happened without tremendous cooperation among federal, state and local government.”

Plant modifications, which include repurposing the plant's existing space, are scheduled to begin in January.

Equipment is expected to start arriving in May.

Hiring for skilled positions — engineers, quality staff, supervisors and maintenance technicians — will start in January 2014. Production positions will be added gradually from around April through August. Prospective employees may apply by mailing resumes to Allevard Sogefi USA, Inc., 1389 Round Bottom Road, Prichard, WV 25555. For more information, applicants can call (304) 781-7700.