HID Global has moved its U.S. headquarters from Irvine to Austin, Texas, where it’s building a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center.
The relocation, which began last month, will eventually see the security and identification services provider pour some $50 million into the project. HID will hire more than 300 workers in Texas within two years, including highly skilled developers and programmers.
The company makes smart cards and readers for governments, logistics companies and others, as well as animal tags and secure printers that personalize access credentials and encodes them with data.
HID was drawn by tax incentives and the generally business-friendly economic climate in Austin, which is the capital of Texas and the state’s most vibrant tech hub.
“The robust business climate and positive economic conditions in Austin were strong considerations in the final site selection,” said HID spokesperson Jeremy Hyatt said. “Of equal importance was that the innovative, vibrant culture in the community aligns well with HID Global’s culture and values.”
HID Global will receive more than $1.6 million in city and county property tax rebates over 10 years if it meets certain employment and wage benchmarks.
Gov. Perry
The company also is the recipient of a $1.9 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund, a program Gov. Rick Perry has touted in attempting to lure California companies to the Lone Star State.
Perry has visited OC several times in the last few years, holding meetings with local executives and touting his state’s economic advantages, which include no income tax and a favorable regulatory environment.
Austin, known for its live music and nightlife scene, has had some recent success in attracting investments from OC companies.
Auction.com, the Irvine-based online real estate auctioneer, opened an office in the city last year and plans to hire about 40 people there.
Santa Ana-based mortgage lender Stearns Lending Inc. is planning to build a call center in Austin and hire at least 50 people, and possibly hundreds more.
Largest Operation
HID Global’s new headquarters will be its largest operation in the world, designed to support expansion plans that call for some 400 workers by 2015, when the property is set to be fully running.
“The Texas location provides an excellent platform for scaling HID Global’s global operations to support the expansion of HID Global’s leadership position in secure identity solutions, and represents a significant investment in the company’s ongoing advancements in delivery performance, product quality and facility security while minimizing its environmental impact,” Hyatt said.
The new property will also house regional managers, customer service, engineering, purchasing, and quality assurance personnel.
HID employs a few hundred people in Irvine, where it has distribution and some programming operations. It employs 2,100 people companywide.
HID Global will maintain some presence in Orange County, but the exact number of employees—or whether some will be offered jobs in Texas—has not been determined, according to Hyatt.
The privately held company doesn’t disclose revenue figures. Its parent, Sweden-based Assa Abloy Group, has about $6 billion in annual revenue and employs some 34,000 people.
HID was born out of the Hughes aircraft division in 1991. Its acronym stems from Hughes’ identification devices. The company was bought by Assa Abloy in 2000.
