Forget extreme makeover – this deal is a complete reboot from top to bottom.

A technology restart with new PCs and keeping jobs in North Carolina  are the goals of a huge computer purchase that the N.C. State Employees’ Credit Union is fulfilling in a deal with Lenovo.

While financial details were not disclosed, the SECU said Monday that it is replacing 8,000 desktop machines across the entire operation with Lenovo devices.

Plus, the machines will be assembled and loaded with basic software at Lenovo’s PC assembly line in Whitsett (near Greensboro).

“This is a complete refresh,” Leigh Brady, who is executive vice president of Organizational Development at SECU, tells WRALTechWire. She notes that its been “four to five years since the last refresh.”

But as important as it was to upgrade hardware, Brady says SECU wanted to deal with Lenovo since it employs well over 100 people at the Whitsett facility which opened in 2012.

“For us, this is also about keeping jobs here,” Brady explains. 

The “switchover” will involve 253 branches across the state’s 100 counties plus five operations centers, she adds. And it should happen “fairly quickly.”

Some 6,500 new machines should be in place by the end of April with the rest to be spread out in subsequent months.

Each new machine will be loaded with an operating system, but SECU employees will add the remainder, she says.

In the announcement, Fred Hill, who is senior vice president of Information Services Engineering at SECU, cited jobs, economic impact and energy savings as key factors.

“Contracting with companies that have a base where members live and work is extremely important because of the positive benefits to North Carolina’s workforce and the local economy,” he said. “Additionally, the Lenovo PCs exceed Energy Star specifications, providing greater efficiency and long-term cost savings for the Credit Union.”

Tom Looney, Lenovo’s general manager for North America who spearheaded the drive within Lenovo to bring the PC assembly line to the state, reiterated Lenovo’s commitment to North Carolina.

Lenovo operates its global executive headquarters in Morrisville and has some 2,300 employees in the state. The company is also expected to add another 2,000 workers from IBM if and when it’s $2.3 billion deal for IBM’s x86 server business is approved.

“Lenovo’s commitment to both the U.S. and North Carolina has never been stronger,” Looney said.

SECU has nearly 1.9 million members.

[LENOVO ARCHIVE: Check out eight years of Lenovo stories as reported in WRALTechWire.]