January 2020

January 2020

Chassis manufacturer expands in South Carolina
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, a manufacturer of vehicle chassis, is expanding its plant in Cherokee County, S.C. The almost $14 million expansion will create 193 jobs.

Auto supplier expands in Henderson, Tenn.
Automotive products manufacturer Arvin Sango will expand its existing operations in Henderson. It supplies stamped auto body parts and door safety parts for the automotive industry. The company’s customers include major brands such as Toyota and Nissan. Sango Co. is headquartered in Japan, and Arvin Sango is headquartered in Indiana. The company is expected to create 153 jobs in Chester County over the next five years.

GM completes $1.4 billion expansion of its large SUV plant in Texas
General Motors has completed the $1.4 billion expansion of its SUV plant in Arlington, Texas. The automaker celebrated by unveiling new generation Chevy Suburban and Tahoe models. The 1.6 million-square-foot addition to the plant that was built in 1954 will bring total square footage to 5.75 million.

German filtration manufacturer expands in Tennessee
MANN+HUMMEL USA, a maker of filtration solutions for automobiles, is investing $15 million at its plant in Dunlap, Tenn. The project will create 50 jobs.

Auto supplier to build new plant in Georgia
Japan-based Mitsui Kinzoku Die-Casting will build a new plant in Spalding County, Ga. The company will invest $20 million in the facility and hire 30 workers where it will make parts for electric vehicles.

Pierburg expanding in Greenville County, S.C.
Pierburg, a manufacturer of components for air supply and emission control, announced plans to expand its existing operations in Greenville County. The $27 million investment will create 95 new jobs. Pierburg is one of three brands under the Rheinmetall Automotive group.

GM investing $1.5 billion in Missouri expansion
General Motors recently confirmed it will invest $1.5 billion to produce its next-generation Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups at its plant in Wentzville, Mo. The plant, where the Chevy Colorado and Express, and the GMC Canyon and Savana are built, currently employs about 4,000 hourly and 330 salaried employees. The announcement represents one of the largest single project investments from the private sector in Missouri.

Auto parts manufacturer to build second plant in Charlotte Region of North Carolina
Cataler North America Corporation, a manufacturer of catalysts for automobiles and engines, will build a new manufacturing plant in Hickory, N.C., creating 151 jobs. The Japanese company will invest a minimum of $42 million in the project in Catawba County.

WABCO expands Kentucky distribution hub
WABCO plans to triple its employment as it invests over $3 million in the distribution portion of its heavy duty truck parts manufacturing and warehousing facility in Hebron, where it currently employs 77 people.

Global Lending Services plans $4.2 million expansion in Greenville, S.C.
Global Lending Services, an automotive lending company, will invest more than $4.2 million to expand its current operations in Greenville. The investment is expected to create 669 new jobs. The company has developed technology to approve customers at competitive rates in less than 20 seconds.

Dennis Eagle establishes operations in Dorchester County, S.C.
U.K.-based manufacturer Dennis Eagle, which designs and manufactures refuse collection vehicles, plans to establish operations in Dorchester County to assemble Elite Chassis for compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel trucks. The new facility should be operational in 2020, with hiring beginning in the coming months.

Dallas-based Panda Biotech breaks into hemp business
A Dallas-based company is tapping into the Texas’ hemp industry with a new facility that will process the plant and turn it into a material that can be used for clothing, car parts and insulation for houses. Panda Biotech will open a 255,000-square-foot facility in Shallowater, a small town 12 miles northwest of Lubbock. The company plans to hire 20 employees and use hemp that’s grown within a 100-mile radius to reduce transportation costs. Texas state lawmakers legalized the crop in January and will begin issuing licenses to grow hemp in early 2020. Hemp is a type of cannabis. It’s related to marijuana but has low or untraceable amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Clark Material Handling completes expansion in Lexington, Ky.
Clark Material Handling announced the completed expansion of its third facility in Kentucky. The Lexington-based company is a manufacturer of forklift trucks and spare parts.

Four hundred new jobs for Chesterfield County, Va.
Governor Ralph Northam announced that Carvana, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, plans to invest $25 million to establish a new vehicle inspection and reconditioning facility in Chesterfield County. The project will create an estimated 400 new jobs.

Battery maker to invest $10 million, bring 46 jobs to Greensboro, N.C.
Sunlight Systems, a battery maker based in Greece, announced it will open its first U.S. facility next year in Greensboro. The company will invest $10 million and create 46 jobs. Sunlight Batteries will assemble and distribute lithium batteries from the facility.

Author: Michael Randle