John Skvarla III, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, visited Wilmington on Tuesday to pay tribute to a manufacturing company here that has been successful by plotting a course "quietly down the middle."

As part of the state's celebration of N.C. Manufacturing Week, Skvarla dropped in on IKA Works Inc., a German manufacturer of laboratory equipment with North American headquarters in Wilmington.

"IKA Works is not only a great corporate citizen, but it also produces its goods behind the scenes," the secretary said to the group, which included local elected officials and business leaders.

He added that it's easy to tout large companies with thousands of employees, but important to recognize small- and mid-sized companies like IKA Works that are the "soul of what we are about in North Carolina."

"Manufacturing is in the DNA of North Carolina, with almost 450,000 jobs in the state," he continued. Turning to the assembled IKA Works employees, he said, "You are an integral part of that."

IKA Works, based in Staufen, Germany, has a global presence. It established a North American plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1985 ago but moved the plant to Wilmington nine years later. Since then, the Wilmington workforce has nearly doubled. The local operation has 100 employees, with another 15 Wilmington-based employees working remotely, according to Ray Watkins, the facility's director of supply chain and laboratory manufacturing.

Skvarla, along with Gov. Pat McCrory, are visiting several manufacturing plants in different parts of the state as they celebrate North Carolina's first Manufacturing Week. The event is built upon the national Manufacturing Day, which takes place Friday.

Department of Commerce spokeswoman Kim Genardo said that IKA Works in Wilmington is an example of a growing company that has been successful without the help of incentives. Because of the wide network of well-known consumer brands that use IKA Works' laboratory testing, Genardo said, "The toothpaste you have at home could have been tested in these labs."

Interviewed following the formal presentation, Skvarla expressed his pleasure that the newly approved biennial state budget contains money for film grants and replenishes the state's Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program as well as the historic preservation tax credit program.

Citing the importance of growing North Carolina's exports, the secretary expressed strong support for the federal Export-Import Bank program and said that both he and McCrory are "deeply involved" in pushing for reauthorization of the program, which helps large and small companies overcome hurdles to international trade.