Gov. Beverly Perdue plans to be on hand Friday for what her office calls a jobs announcement at the Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corp. plant in Forsyth County.

The plant is a partnership between Japan's Hitachi Construction Machinery and U.S.-based Deere & Co. The Kernersville plant employs about 700.

Deere-Hitachi has been shopping for tax breaks and other incentives from government officials as it weighs expanding in North Carolina or moving the work to Japan.

Forsyth County commissioners last week approved more than $1 million in incentives that would match state-level sweeteners. Deere-Hitachi would have to add at least 340 full-time jobs paying at least $40,000 a year in five years to land the benefits.