Shutterfly photo sharing service relocating to Fort Mill

Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service Shutterfly Thursday announced it will triple its East Coast manufacturing operations with a new state-of-the-art production facility in Fort Mill.

Responding to significant business growth, this expansion will increase Shutterfly’s photo-product East Coast operations footprint to 300,000 total square feet. The new facility is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2013 and the existing Charlotte, N.C., manufacturing space will be fully operational until that time. With the new facility located less than 10 miles from the company’s current location, Shutterfly expects to retain existing employees while creating new jobs during the next three years. This expansion builds on Shutterfly’s commitment to U.S.-based operations, as the company maintains all manufacturing domestically.

“I am extremely proud that we are able to retain the employees working in our Charlotte facility while adding new jobs and expanding our manufacturing foot print,” said Jeffrey Housenbold, president and CEO of Shutterfly. “Fort Mill is an ideal location for its proximity to our employees and the new talented local labor pool.”

The Fort Mill facility will house a portion of production and customer service personnel for Shutterfly’s four brands: Shutterfly, Tiny Prints, Wedding Paper Divas and Treat. While Shutterfly manufacturing is not new to the eastern U.S., the customer service center in Fort Mill will be the first East Coast customer service presence for Shutterfly.

“We are committed to providing our customers the highest quality experiences and products to help them capture, preserve and share their precious memories,” said Housenbold. “Expanding our manufacturing facilities is critical to ensuring we are able to respond to increasing demand and deliver the best to our growing customer base.”

“It’s a great day in South Carolina when a well-known company like Shutterfly chooses to put down roots in our state. We celebrate Shutterfly’s decision to bring more than 600 jobs to Fort Mill. Today’s announcement is another win for the Palmetto State and shows we’re on the right track with our economic development efforts,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.

Since January 2011, South Carolina has recruited more than $7 billion in capital investment and more than 17,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector.

“I am grateful to Shutterfly for bringing new skilled jobs to South Carolina”, said Robert Hitt, South Carolina Secretary of Commerce. “We worked closely with Shutterfly and supported their efforts to secure a facility that could accommodate their rapid growth and existing employee population.”

York County Council Chairman Britt Blackwell said, “York County has positioned itself to take advantage of diverse opportunities for office, distribution and manufacturing investment. Shutterfly’s operation combines all three of these activities and will create significant immediate and future job opportunities for our citizens.  Adding such a technologically-advanced company to our growing list of international businesses is a testament to York County’s ability to compete in the global arena.”

Shutterfly, the market leader in online photo products and services, currently serves millions of customers who store more than 15 billion photos in Shutterfly’s cloud service. More are expected with recent acquisitions of Kodak Gallery, Photoccino and Penguin Digital, as well as the launch of Shutterfly’s fourth lifestyle brand and forthcoming mobile app, Treat, which serves the multi-billion one-to-one greeting card market. Additionally, the new facility will increase Shutterfly’s speed and efficiency in producing and shipping the company’s award-winning products such as photo books, holiday cards and personalized stationery.