With the groundbreaking still weeks away, EFACEC is beginning to gear up for its opening next year.

The Portuguese manufacturer of electrical components will take 100 engineers to its Porto, Portugal, headquarters for a year of training in the company’s procedures and software.

“They need to be ramping up their employment machine,” Effingham Industrial Development Authority CEO John Henry said.

The first 100 engineers EFACEC will train will be electrical engineers. To make sure there is enough of a pool of engineers to draw from, the IDA may approach Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech to set up recruiting programs for their electrical engineering graduates.

“We need to be involved in that hiring,” IDA Chairman Chap Bennett said.

EFACEC has had geotechnical teams on the site, checking the ground and soil to see if it is suitable for their building needs.

“We’re looking for their project team to be here in February,” Henry said. “That’s when all the fun begins.”