August 2017

For real-time news on business, politics and economic development in the South, go to www.RandleReport.com. For all projects announced in the South, go to www.SB-D.com. For more information on the automotive industry in the South, go to www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com.

European auto supplier to open first U.S. facility in Alabama
An automotive company based in Spain is investing $30 million in a new wheel assembly plant in Tuscaloosa County. Truck & Wheel Group’s move will create more than 70 jobs.

Bolta opens $49 million Alabama plant
Global auto parts supplier Bolta Group has opened its new $48.7 million production facility at the Tuscaloosa County Airport Industrial Park. The factory will add 350 to its current staff of 200. Bolta manufacturers parts such as nameplates and decorative trims for the automotive industry.

German logistics firm launches in Greer, S.C.
Rudolph Logistics Group is launching a new warehousing operation in Greer, bringing more than $18 million of capital investment to the Upstate and creating at least 150 new jobs. Its customers include Audi, BMW Group, Continental and Mercedes parent group, Daimler.

BMW facility to draw thousands to College Park, Ga.
BMW plans to open a training center in College Park next to the Georgia International Convention Center, moving the training out of its Southern region headquarters in Sandy Springs. Officials in College Park expect the training center will draw as many as 10,000 BMW workers annually for corporate training. At 53,000 square feet, the new $16.6 million center will be four times as big as the old one. It will mainly be used for interactive training of dealership employees.

Gateway Tire to invest $11 million in Alabama
Gateway Tire, a wholesale distributor of brands such as Toyo and Hankook, announced plans  to invest $11 million to open a 200,000-square-foot tire distribution center in Dothan.

Shapiro Metals opens second Alabama plant
Shapiro Metals recently launched its 11th North American plant with the opening of a new 20,000-square-foot facility in Decatur, Ala. The plant recycles metals from aerospace, trailer manufacturing, automotive and medical device customers.

Calsonic Kansei undertakes major expansion at Mississippi plant
Japan-based automotive supplier Calsonic Kansei will invest $16.33 million to expand its manufacturing plant in Madison, Miss. The company plans to create 98 new jobs, bringing its total employment in the area to about 600. Calsonic Kansei is a supplier to Nissan’s Canton automotive assembly plant.

Netherlands-based manufacturer bringing 71 jobs to Spartanburg County
Netherlands-based AWL-Techniek, a producer of high-tech welding machines primarily for the automotive market, will invest $2.53 million to establish its first plant in the U.S. The project also means 71 new hires.

Auto supplier adding 98 jobs in Tennessee
Automotive supplier Cooper Standard will create approximately 98 new jobs at its facility in Surgoinsville. Alongside the new jobs, the company, which is headquartered in Michigan, is investing $1 million in new plant equipment.

Electro-Spec launching new operations in Lexington County, S.C.
Electro-Spec, a specialty plating manufacturer for the aerospace and auto industries among others, is locating new production operations in Lexington County. The development is projected to bring $3.1 million of capital investment and create 53 new jobs.

Honda supplier expanding and hiring in Alabama
A Canada-based automotive metal-forming company is planning another facility for its plant in Sylacauga, Ala. Fleetwood Metal Industries is building a 60,000-square-foot facility close to its current plant in Sylacauga’s industrial district, and plans to hire 70 more employees by year’s end.

Toyota opens the doors of its billion-dollar campus
About 2,000 team members are arriving at Toyota North America’s new 100-acre, 2.1 million-square-foot campus it expects to operate for the next 60 years.

Giti Tire building $560 million campus
Singapore-based Giti Tire, the 10th largest tire company in the world, is on track to open its first North American manufacturing and distribution facility on a 1,100-acre site, 170 miles northeast of Charleston, in Richburg, S.C. The company expects to invest $560 million and create 1,700 new jobs over the next decade in Chester County.

Automotive supplier to build in Charleston County, S.C.
Knapheide Manufacturing Co. announced recently it is opening a new manufacturing facility in Charleston County, expected to bring an investment of $1.3 million and create 63 jobs. The new plant will install van interiors and bodies for Mercedes-Benz

BMW commits to new jobs in U.S.
BMW AG is the latest auto maker to commit to new jobs at a U.S. factory following criticism from President Donald Trump, saying it will create 1,000 American jobs through 2021 as it works to boost its production of sport-utility vehicles in South Carolina. The jobs are part of a $600 million investment planned for the German auto maker’s Spartanburg factory.

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Author: Michael Randle