Top Automotive Deals in the South – Fall 2019

The Southern Auto Corridor’s 10 Largest New and Expanded Manufacturing and Selected Non-Manufacturing Job Announcements

Announcements made in the Fall 2019 Quarter

CompanyJobs$InvN/ELocationDescription
1. Volkswagen1,000$800EChattanooga, Tenn. Auto assembly
2. Morgan Olson700$57NDanville, Va. Van assembly
3. Navistar600$250NSan Antonio, TexasTruck assembly
4. Ford500N/ANHouston, TexasCall center
5. Bharat Forge460$127NSanford, N.C.Auto parts
6. Carvana450$45NBessemer, Ala.Distribution
7. Lear Corp442$12ETuscaloosa, Ala.Auto parts
7. Toyota400$238EGeorgetown, Ky. Auto assembly
8. Carvana400$40NWest Memphis, Ark.Distribution
9. GM400N/AEBowling Green, Ky.Auto assembly
10. Spartan Motors308$1NCharleston, S.C.Truck assembly

($Inv. = Investment in millions – N=New; E=Expansion; R=Relocation)

Sources: RandleReport.com

Top Automotive Deals in the South – Summer 2019

The Southern Auto Corridor’s 10 Largest New and Expanded Manufacturing and Selected Non-Manufacturing Job Announcements

Announcements made in the Summer 2019 Quarter

CompanyJobs$InvN/ELocationDescription
1. Aisin AW900$400NGuadalupe, TexAuto Parts
2. DaikyoNishikawa380$110NHuntsville, Ala.Auto Parts
3. Vuteq200$60NHuntsville, Ala.Auto Parts
4. Mitsubishi Motors200$18RFranklin, Tenn. HQ
5. Faurecia200N/ANBlue Springs, Mo. Auto Parts
6. CRP Industries115$2NConway, S.C.Auto Parts
7. HIROTEC100$48NFayetteville, Tenn. Auto Parts
8. Motus100$15NGadsden, Ala.Auto Parts
9. Hoelzel LP100$6EChattanooga, Tenn.Robotics
10. Love's80$8NMilan, Tenn. Distribution

($Inv. = Investment in millions – N=New; E=Expansion; R=Relocation)

Sources: RandleReport.com

December 2019

December 2019

Mercedes to build luxury SUV at its Alabama plant
Mercedes-Benz is introducing a vehicle that combines the luxury features of its flagship S-Class sedan with the GLS full-size SUV as part of a push to increase profits through sales of upscale cars. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 will hit showrooms in the second half of next year, the Daimler AG brand reported. The vehicle, which is powered by a V-8 engine including a 48-volt hybrid system, will be built at Daimler’s factory in Tuscaloosa. Optional features include folding tables and a refrigerator with space for champagne bottles.

Goodyear to consolidate Atlanta facilities to Coweta County, Ga.
In June 2016, the former Orchard Hills Golf Course property on Georgia Highway 16 in Newnan’s southeast side was rezoned as a major industrial and commercial site. In November, Goodyear Tire and Rubber announced it would build a 1.5 million-square-foot facility that will consolidate its Atlanta area distribution centers. The $140 million project will create 250 jobs in Coweta County.

Automotive supplier announces new plant for Georgia
In the fall quarter, Nippon Light Metal Georgia announced it will create 110 jobs while investing $50 million in building a new manufacturing facility in Adairsville. The plant is expected to be operational in 2022. Nippon Light Metal Georgia specializes in aluminum products for the automotive industry.

Megasite in Montgomery, Ala., receives certification
The Montgomery Mega Site has received an Alabama AdvantageSite designation. The AdvantageSite program requires that community economic development organizations provide documentation specific to a proposed industrial site, including a set of standard data related to ownership/control, environmental and geotechnical conditions, and infrastructure status. Sites must also meet size, zoning and accessibility requirements. The Montgomery Mega Site is a 1,842-acre site located approximately 2.5 miles (5 minutes) from Interstate 65. The site can be accessed by Hyundai Blvd or U.S. Highway 331. The eastern boundary of the main site and the western boundary of the out-parcel are served by rail. All utilities are at the site.

Hyundai to build pickup at Montgomery, Ala., plant
Korean automaker Hyundai is entering the U.S. pickup truck market by building the vehicle at its plant in Montgomery, Ala. The company will invest $410 million to add the line and create 200 jobs. Expected to go into production in 2021, Hyundai has billed the model, called Santa Cruz, a “compact utility vehicle,” but it features an open truck bed.

California electronics manufacturer to locate in Texas
All Quality & Services is moving into an existing facility in Garland, Texas following an $800,000 renovation. The company makes computer components such as modules, modems, semiconductors and circuit boards that are used in medical, automotive, mobile telecommunications, gaming, industrial and other industries. The deal will create 150 jobs.

Volkswagen will build its first electric vehicle in Tennessee
German automaker Volkswagen announced in the fall it will build its first electric vehicle at its plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The $800 million project to build another line will create 1,000 jobs. The expansion also includes a 564,000-square-foot addition to the body shop and a battery pack assembly facility.

Kia celebrates 10 years of production in West Georgia
South Korea-based Kia Motors celebrated 10 years of vehicle production in West Point, Ga. The plant is the first for Kia in the U.S., and supports more than 15,000 jobs in West Georgia. It assembled the first vehicle in November 2009 and currently has a capacity of building 340,000 vehicles per year.

Supplier base for Mazda Toyota growing in Northern Alabama
The joint-venture auto plant project between Mazda and Toyota is seeing a large supply chain investment in the Huntsville area. Already, five suppliers to the plant have announced projects worth $440 million and that is expected to increase substantially before the assembly plant opens in 2021. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA will open with a capacity for 150,000 vehicles to be built in the first year.

Continental AG opens Mississippi tire plant
In November, Germany-based Continental AG opened its tire plant in Central Mississippi. The $1.45 billion facility on 900 acres is one of the largest projects ever announced in the Jackson, Miss., region. The plant is expected to house 2,500 workers within the next nine years.

Topre America plans $63 million expansion in Smyrna, Tenn.
Topre America will add 51 advanced manufacturing jobs to its automotive stamping operation near the Nissan manufacturing plant. The new jobs are part of a $63 million capital investment and the fourth expansion by the Japanese-based company in five years.

O’Reilly Auto Parts distribution center creating 380 jobs in Horn Lake, Miss.
Retailer O’Reilly Auto Parts is locating a distribution center in Horn Lake by retrofitting a 580,000-square-foot facility the company purchased in February. The project will create 380 jobs.

Ford planning $1 billion investment in Louisville operations
Ford Motor Co. agrees to invest more than $1 billion in its Louisville operations in a proposed contract with United Auto Workers. The agreement includes a commitment from Ford to create 8,500 new or secured jobs as well as invest $6 billion in products across its operations. One billion of that investment will come at the Kentucky Truck Plant to support an all-new Super Duty F-Series truck as well as all-new Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. Another $100 million in new investment is planned at the Louisville Assembly Plant to support continued production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair.

FleetPride plans distribution hub in Georgia
FleetPride, a distributor of truck and trailer parts, will open a 256,000-square-foot distribution center currently under construction near Atlanta in Lilburn, Ga. The Lilburn facility is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2020.

Carvana delivering 450 jobs in Alabama
Carvana, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, plans to invest more than $45 million to construct an Alabama distribution and fulfillment center, and create more than 300 jobs. Construction of a 200,000-square-foot distribution facility in Bessemer is expected to begin in April 2020 and open by December 2021. The total project is about $47 million in capital investment.

Hyundai begins production of redesigned Sonata
Alabama’s Hyundai plant launched mass production of the redesigned Sonata sedan in November, another milestone for the $1.8 billion, 3,000-worker Montgomery facility. The 2020 Sonata features improved safety, technology, performance and fuel efficiency, along with an all-new sporty design that is a departure from the brand’s traditional styling.

Livent expands in North Carolina
The Livent Corp. is expanding its facilities in Bessemer City, N.C., in a $16 million effort that will add 30 new jobs and increase production capacities. The expansion will allow Livent to increase production of lithium hydroxide, which is an essential component of the advanced lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, as well as in industrial greasers and other applications. In addition to the 30 new jobs at the facility, work on the expansion is expected to employ 85 construction workers.

Two auto suppliers creating over 500 jobs in Tuscaloosa County, Ala.
The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority approved tax abatements for projects by two automotive parts suppliers that are expected to create more than 500 jobs. International Automotive Components Group North will invest $22.3 million and create 119 jobs. Lear Corp. plans to make a $12.4 million investment in an expansion, which is expected to create 442 jobs.

November 2019

November 2019

Toyota expanding Kentucky plant, again
Japanese automaker Toyota is expanding its Georgetown, Ky., plant once again. Toyota is adding 400 workers as soon as possible at the plant, which is the automaker’s largest in the world. All workers hired will receive a $500 signing bonus if they remain on the job for at least six months. It is the first time Toyota has offered a signing bonus for new hires. This is the latest announcement in what has been a busy year for Toyota’s Kentucky plant. In March, the automaker announced it would invest $238 million to launch assembly of two hybrid vehicles in Kentucky, its RAV4 and the luxury Lexus ES 300.

The automotive industry is slowing faster than expected
Last year there were 55 automotive-relative deals announced of 200 jobs or more in the 15-state Southern Auto Corridor. That’s half of the 111 jobs announced in the South in 2015, when the industry sector peaked. The total last year was the lowest since 2008. The sector experienced a “sharp downturn” in production and sales through 2018 and that is not going to get any better this year. The auto sector represented 20 percent of 2018’s slowdown in GDP and roughly 30 percent of the slowdown in global trade, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook survey released in the fall quarter.

BMW celebrates 25 years in South Carolina
In the fall quarter, BMW workers and officials celebrated 25 years of its plant in Spartanburg County, S.C. To date, BMW has assembled 4.75 million vehicles and has exported 3 million of those through the Port of Charleston. BMW is the nation’s No. 1 exporter of vehicles from just one plant that houses 11,000 workers.

Company expanding its aluminum recycling operation in Georgia
Novelis, a maker of aluminum for the automotive industry and others, is investing $36 million in its recycling plant in Greensboro, Ga. The recycled aluminum will then be used by auto assembly companies.

Chinese company to establish first U.S. facility in Tennessee
Global Track Manufacturing, a maker of rubber tracks and undercarriage parts for industrial and agricultural equipment, is reopening the old Tower Automotive plant in Milan, Tenn. The deal, which will open next summer, will create 250 jobs.

Van assembly plant set for rural Virginia
Morgan Olson will invest $57.8 million to establish a new aluminum walk-in step van assembly plant in Danville-Pittsylvania County, Va. The vans are used by food distributors and other industries. The project will create 700 jobs.

Nucor opens Mississippi County, Ark., steel plant
Charlotte-based Nucor Steel opened its new specialty cold steel mill at its massive complex in Mississippi County, Ark., in the fall quarter. Most of the new capacity will be used for the automotive industry. The company invested $230 million in the project that will create 100 new jobs.

Firetruck company bringing more than 300 jobs to Georgia
Fouts Brothers is moving it headquarters and manufacturing operations to Milledgeville, Ga. The company will invest $15 million and create 300 jobs.

Truck manufacturer will establish operations in South Carolina
Spartan Motors, assembler of fleet, work truck and specialty service vehicle manufacturing, is establishing operations in Charleston County, S.C. The $1.15 million investment will create 308 jobs.

Continental Tire grand opening in Mississippi
Continental celebrated a major milestone for its new tire plant near Clinton, Miss., with a grand opening event in October. The celebration marks the completion of the construction process, which began in 2016. Continental has committed nearly $1.4 billion and expects to employ 2,500 people when the plant reaches full capacity in the next decade. The project represents the largest economic development announcement for the area in a generation.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $34.6 billion in mobility tech by 2025
Hyundai Motor Group said it plans to invest $34.6 billion in mobility and other auto technologies by 2025. The plan, which encompasses autonomous, connected and electric vehicles as well as technology for ride-sharing, comes after the automaker and two of its affiliates announced an investment of $1.6 billion in a venture with U.S. self-driving tech firm Aptiv.

Henderson Stamping and Production expands Tennessee plant
Henderson Stamping and Production, a metal stamping manufacturer for the appliance and automotive industries, will invest $13.5 million to expand its operations center in Henderson, Tenn. The company plans to create 52 jobs in Chester County.

MM Technics expands factory in Newberry County, S.C.
MM Technics, an American subsidiary of automotive supplier Muhr Metalltechnik, will invest $6 million to expand its production plant in Newberry County. MM Technics has added another metal stamping press and high-speed robotic welding systems to supply automotive companies throughout the United States and Europe.

South Korea-based Shinhwa Group plans manufacturing complex in Auburn, Ala.
The Shinhwa Group, a South Korean-based automotive parts manufacturer, plans to invest $42 million to establish its first manufacturing operation in the U.S in Auburn, Ala. The project is expected to create 95 jobs. Initially, Shinhwa will produce drive shafts for vehicles made by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery and Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia, just across the state line in West Point. Looking to the future, Shinhwa plans to expand its production in Auburn to also provide parts for other car manufacturers.

Nokian Tyres opens $360 million plant in Dayton, Tenn.
Finland-based Nokian Tyres’ $360 million factory was unveiled before several hundred people during a ceremony in October. By year’s end, the 830,000-square-foot plant — its first plant in the United States — aims to have as many as 150 employees, and 400 workers when the plant is at full production, making 4 million tires annually.

Goodyear expands tire testing facility in Texas
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has plans for two new expansion projects at its vehicle dynamics proving ground in San Angelo, Texas. The San Angelo facility covers 7,250 acres and includes 58 miles of roads and track, 14 miles of fence and more than 200 test vehicles.

October 2019

October 2019

Metals startup announces new Houston factory
Toyota Tsusho America, the Japanese automaker’s supply chain arm, announced a joint venture with Modumetal, which will be named ModuTAI. They will establish a new production facility in Houston. The new company will make specialized alloy products for the oil and gas industry, and plans to expand into construction, marine and transportation markets.

New manufacturing facility to create 200 jobs in Seguin, Texas
A Michigan-based company is set to build a manufacturing facility that will create 200 new jobs for the city of Seguin. Continental Structural Plastics is making a capital investment of $70 million to construct the 200,000-square-foot facility that will produce lightweight composite solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, HVAC and construction industries.

Injection molder Investing $3.7 million In Virginia
Injection molder Blue Ridge Industries will invest $3.7 million and hire 13 more employees at its manufacturing plant in Winchester, Va., where the female-owned company is based. Founded in 1985, BRI manufactures a wide variety of plastic parts for the automotive, construction, commercial goods and electronic enclosures markets.

Airtech announces $13 million expansion in Tennessee
A Robertson County manufacturer will soon invest $13 million in its plant and add about 30 new jobs. Airtech, a vacuum bagging and composite tooling materials manufacturer, will expand in Robertson County The company serves many sectors, including aerospace and automotive.

Nippon Paint investing $60 million In Tennessee
Nippon Paint will invest approximately $60 million to establish a facility in Chattanooga. The company will create 150 jobs in Hamilton County as it expands its paint and coating products for automotive customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Navistar plans to build $250 million facility in San Antonio
Illinois-based Navistar, which makes commercial trucks, plans to spend more than $250 million to build a new manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas, delivering 600 new jobs to the area. The investment is contingent on finalization of various incentive packages.

Hyundai to invest another $292 million in Alabama plant
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) recently announced that it’s preparing to invest nearly $300 million more in new machinery and equipment for its factory there. The money will help with production of the redesigned Elantra and Santa Fe vehicles as well as the company’s new, more fuel-efficient Theta engine. Back in June, HMMA celebrated the opening of its new cylinder head manufacturing plant. The 260,000-square-foot facility represents a $388 million investment and 50 new jobs.

Carvana expected to bring 400 new jobs to West Memphis, Ark.
Carvana plans to open an inspection and distribution center in West Memphis. The Arizona-based online auto sales platform, noted for its “car vending machines,” will invest $40 million in the West Memphis facility and plans to eventually employ more than 400 people. Automobiles will be inspected, reconditioned, photographed and stored at the facility.

Toyota’s $391 million expansion is first major renovation of San Antonio plant since 2006
Toyota announced it will spend $391 million to expand its San Antonio truck factory — the biggest capital infusion at the facility since production began in 2006. Once completed, the automaker said its total investment in the plant will exceed $3 billion.

Ford’s new Texas call center to generate 500 jobs
The Ford Motor Company recently announced it would be opening a new customer contact center in Houston, where company officials expect it to generate as many as 500 jobs.

GM Bowling Green plant to add 400 jobs
Automaker GM plans to add a second shift and more than 400 new employees at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in preparation to build the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette later this year.

Kobelco expands plant in Bowling Green, Ky.
Japan-based automotive parts manufacturer Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions has reached full capacity at its new facility in Bowling Green. The company will undergo a $42 million, 90-job expansion that will push total employment at the plant to 220 and total investment to $95 million.

Navistar to build facility in Texas
Commercial truck and bus manufacturer Navistar will make a capital investment of more than $250 million to build a new manufacturing facility in Texas. The investment will bring approximately 600 jobs to the San Antonio area.

DENSO opens R&D center in Plano, Texas
DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier, will invest $1.3 million to open the Texas Innovation and Connected Service Center in Plano. The company will use state-of-the-art R&D to innovate vehicle service solutions.

India-based Bharat Forge to open in Sanford, N.C.
Bharat Forge America will invest $127.3 million to build an aluminum forging plant to manufacture automobile components in Sanford. The company plans to create 304 jobs there. The new facility in Sanford will be part of a larger manufacturing center that will bring as many as 460 jobs to Lee County.

$400 million expansion underway at Volvo Truck’s Virginia plant
Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) will invest nearly $400 million over the next six years to upgrade the New River Valley plant that produces all Volvo trucks sold in North America. The upgrades include expansion of the plant’s footprint and installation of equipment.

Toyota supplier to hire 900 in South Texas
Aisin AW, a maker of transmissions for Toyota and other automakers, is building a new plant in Guadalupe County, near San Antonio. The $400 million project will create 900 jobs. Toyota assembles pickup trucks in San Antonio.

Dump truck builder expands into N.C. Triad
Dump Truck body manufacturer Ox Bodies is set to open an operation in High Point, N.C., creating at least 40 jobs. The company will paint dump truck bodies, install those bodies on client-provided chassis, and provide parts, service and installation of other commercial truck accessories in the former Hatteras Yachts building.

Supercar manufacturer moving its U.S. base to North Texas
British supercar manufacturer McLaren Automotive is moving its North American base of operations from New York to Coppell, Texas. McLaren Automotive’s luxury sports cars are manufactured at the company’s plant in Surrey, England, and shipped to the U.S. Since entering the U.S. market eight years ago, McLaren has sold more than 7,000 of its cars, which start at$200,000.

Bendix investing $65 million in Kentucky plant expansion
Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake is investing $65 million to expand its facility in Bowling Green, Ky., and plans to add 100 new jobs. Bendix makes air disc brakes for commercial vehicles.

Brose celebrates plant expansion in Vance, Ala.
Auto parts supplier Brose Tuscaloosa is celebrating the completion of an 80,000-square-foot expansion. The company was recently awarded a contract to produce seat adjustment components for Ford’s F-150. The parts supplier in Vance now employs 700, but that number could grow to 800 in the future.

Auto supplier kicks off construction on $110 million Alabama plant
DaikyoNishikawa US (DNUS) recently celebrated a groundbreaking to officially launch construction on the auto supplier’s $110 million manufacturing plant in North Alabama. The DNUS facility, which will produce plastic automotive parts for the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing assembly plant, will employ approximately 380 people at full production.

North Carolina wins Carvana
North Carolina is offering $1.2 million in tax incentives to Carvana, a move that the Cooper Administration says will result in nearly $512 million for the state’s economy. The e-commerce car sales platform plans to open a new inspection and reconditioning facility in Cabarrus County. The Concord facility’s staff will inspect, refurbish and process vehicles for online sales.

Mobile, Ala., approves $36 million bond issue for tire recycler
A bond issue of up to $36 million is coming down the pipeline for a tire recycling facility in South Alabama. The Mobile County Commission gave the green light for the bond issues for a plant in the Axis area north of Mobile that will reduce tires to raw materials such as steel, carbon black and crumb rubber. The project will likely employ 55 to 60 people.

September 2019

September 2019

New Jersey auto supplier to set up shop in South Carolina
CRP Industries will invest $2.5 million and move into a new 50,000-square-foot facility in Conway, S.C. The power steering systems manufacturer will create 115 jobs in the deal.

Ford to invest $550 million to upgrade the Louisville Assembly Plant
Detroit-based Ford Motor Co. will invest $550 million to install new equipment and modernize its Louisville Assembly plant where it makes the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair models. The investment coincides with a new generation of its high-selling Escape SUV. The new model will incorporate a variety of new technologies.

Honda plant in Alabama has huge economic ripple
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama contributed more than $12 billion in 2018 to the state’s economy. Along with its suppliers, Honda was responsible for more than 45,647 jobs in Alabama, according to an economic impact study released in August by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and the the Center for Business and Economic Research at The University of Alabama.

Auto parts supplier Faurecia opens plant in Missouri
Faurecia’s new 281,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Mo., is now operational, making doors and dashboards for the Kansas City-made Ford F-150 pickup. The plant is operational, employing about 200 people, however at full buildout, plant employment is expected to top 400.

Toyota supplier to hire 900 in South Texas
Aisin AW, a maker of transmissions for Toyota and other automakers, is building a new plant in Guadalupe County, near San Antonio. The $400 million project will create 900 jobs. Toyota assembles pickup trucks in San Antonio.

Japanese auto parts supplier plans Tennessee plant
HIROTEC Group, a Japan-based global automotive supplier specializing in the production of body-in-white closures, exhaust systems, and closure manufacturing equipment, is investing in a new plant in Fayetteville, Tenn. The new plant will specialize in exhaust production and stamped parts. The $48 million plant will house 100 workers.

Japan-based auto supplier to build plant to serve Mazda-Toyota plant in Alabama
In the summer, Japan-based global automotive supplier Vuteq announced it is investing $60 million to open a new plant that will service Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A., in Huntsville, Ala. The company will produce interior and exterior plastic-injected parts. Mazda and Toyota are currently building their joint venture plant in the Southern Automotive Corridor. The Vuteq project is a $60 million investment that will create 200 jobs.

Hino Motors opens its new West Virginia plant
In the summer, Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. opened its 1 million-square-foot plant in Mineral Wells, W.Va. The company is now making class 6, 7 and 8 conventional trucks. The plant’s capacity is 15,000 trucks per year and at opening, Hino announced a new $40 million expansion that will bring employment at the facility to 800 jobs.

A leading economic indicator? Sales of RVs are sliding.
The recreational vehicle industry is seeing slower sales, a warning sign that a recession is ahead. In every recession since 1980, RV sales tumbled just before the recessions were official. Shipments of RVs have fallen 20 percent so far this year according to the RV Industry Association. In an article in The Wall Street Journal this summer, an economist at Ball State University, Michael Hicks, said, “The RV industry is better at calling recessions than economists are.”

Last year was Alabama’s biggest year ever for foreign direct investment
Alabama has been incredibly successful at recruiting foreign companies to the state. Four foreign automakers operate OEMs in the state with another — Mazda Toyota — building an OEM manufacturing facility. Last year, Alabama saw a record set in foreign direct investment with companies from 16 different countries launching projects with more than 7,500 new jobs. Those announcements set an investment record of $4.2 billion in 2018.

North Carolina on short list to land Mahindra Automotive
Flint, Mich., and Greensboro, N.C., are among the cities in contention to land Mahindra Automotive North America’s second U.S. assembly plant and the 2,000 jobs it would bring. The India-based automaker’s current assembly plant in Auburn Hills, Mich., is at capacity, and a significant expansion is needed to produce new products for the U.S. market.

Italy-Based auto supplier expands Tennessee operations
Athena-SCE, an automotive supplier, will invest more than $3 million to expand operations in Mount Pleasant, Tenn. The company plans to create 36 additional jobs in Maury County to produce gaskets and other sealing devices for automotive and industrial applications.

Hennessey expands in Texas to prep for Venom F5 hypercar
Hennessey Performance Engineering in late July celebrated the groundbreaking of an expansion of its plant in Sealy, Texas, to accommodate increased demand for its tuned vehicles, as well as the upcoming Venom F5 hypercar.

Auto supplier expanding in Chattanooga
A German auto supplier is expanding its operations in Chattanooga, Tenn., which will become its North American headquarters. The $6 million investment will create another 100 jobs in Hamilton County. ATN Hoelzel LP provides robotic gluing equipment for the auto industry.

Motus Integrated Technologies breaks ground on $15 million Alabama plant
Motus Integrated Technologies recently broke ground on its $15 million, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Gadsden, Ala. The 96,000-square-foot facility will create nearly 100 jobs producing headliners, armrests and trim components for the auto industry. The new Gadsden facility will span more than two acres of land and is anticipated to be complete next year.