Fall 2011

For real-time news on economic development, business and politics in the American South, go to www.RandleReport.com. For more information on economic development in the South, go to www.SB-D.com and www.SmallTownSouth.com.

ALABAMA

Israeli auto parts supplier to set up plant in Auburn, Ala.

Arkal Plastic Products announced in November it will invest more than $7 million to set up a plant in Auburn, Ala. to produce plastic parts for the automotive industry. The Israeli company, which operates a plant in Canada that serves the Canadian and Michigan automotive cluster, will hire 25 workers initially for the new Auburn plant.

Hyundai-Kia supplier to bring 150 jobs to rural Alabama

C and J Alabama, a supplier to Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai, is bringing 150 jobs to Alexander City, Ala. The company will locate in a former Russell Athletic Corp. plant.

GEORGIA

Kia supplier Daewon to open plant in LaGrange, Ga.

South Korea-based Daewon America announced in December it will open a manufacturing facility in Troup Co., Ga. The company manufactures springs and torsion bars and will supply the Kia plant in West Point, Ga. The $14 million project will generate 100 new jobs.

Kumho Tire plant in Macon delayed again

In the fall quarter, Kumho Tire officials announced a third delay in the building of the Korean tire maker's plant in Macon-Bibb Co., Ga. The $225 million facility was announced in 2008 and company officials have told Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal that the plant won't open until 2013. When announced, the proposed project was to create 450 new jobs.

KENTUCKY

Japanese auto parts manufacturer to locate plant in Kentucky

Daicel Safety Tube Processing, a Japanese automotive components manufacturer, announced in the fall it will locate a new facility in Beaver Dam, Ky. The $8.8 million investment represents the third Daicel plant to locate in Beaver Dam. The company is creating 25 new jobs to be added to its current employment of 525 in the rural Kentucky market.

Stamping operation expanding in Kentucky

GR Spring & Stamping, an automotive parts supplier, is expanding in Richmond, Ky. The company is investing $1.7 million in the project and 25 new jobs are being created.

Magna Seating increasing job totals in Kentucky

Magna Seating added to its job totals at its new Shepherdsville, Ky. factory from 234 to 450. The company will make seats for the new Ford Escape that will be built at the retooled Louisville Assembly Plant. The Ontario-based company will receive an additional $2.5 million in incentives from the state of Kentucky as a result of the additional jobs. 

50 new jobs coming to rural Kentucky

Premium Services LLC and Worldwide Technologies announced a joint project to build a new manufacturing facility in Simpson Co., Ky. The companies provide a wide range of work in the automotive field, including grinding, welding and product reworks. The deal will create 50 new jobs.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear celebrates expansion of Akebono Brake

In the fall quarter, Gov. Steve Beshear joined community leaders in Glasgow, Ky. and officials from Akebono Brake to unveil a major expansion at the company's Barren County facility. The $20.6 million project, which added 60,000 square feet of space to its existing facility, is expected to result in 224 new jobs.

MISSISSIPPI

Toyota supplier opens in Mississippi

Systems Automotive Interiors has opened its facility that it shares with Toyota Boshoku Mississippi. The plant will assemble seats for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi. Boshoku is producing the interior door panels for the Corolla. At full production, SAI expects to produce 150,000 seats for Toyota in a just-in-time environment. Employment at the seat plant is set for 80. 

Granada Stamping expanding in Mississippi

Granada Stamping and Assembly is expanding its operations in Grenada, Miss. The auto parts supplier will add 50 jobs in the deal.

MISSOURI

New online assistance for suppliers in Missouri

The Missouri Department of Economic Development has launched a new online portal geared specifically to Missouri automotive parts suppliers. The Missouri Automotive Supplier Portal, found at http://ded.mo.gov/auto, offers helpful assistance from DED professionals for in-state auto suppliers looking to expand, or out-of-state suppliers considering moving to Missouri.

NORTH CAROLINA

Auto parts supplier adding 64 jobs in rural N.C.

Henniges Automotive, a manufacturer of automotive sealing parts, is expanding its plant in Reidsville, N.C. The company is investing $2.2 million and will hire 64 workers.

FMC Lithium investing $50M in electric car battery plant

FMC Lithium is adding 25 jobs in a $50 million expansion of its electric car battery component plant in Gaston County, N.C. The expansion will bring employment at the facility to 240.

Cooper Standard expanding in N.C.

Cooper Standard announced in the fall it will add 137 jobs at its plant in Goldsboro, N.C. The company, which began operations in Goldsboro in 1984, employs 373 workers that produce weather stripping material for the automotive market.

Project Soccer blame game in N.C.: "It appears to me everybody is trying to cover their tail."

That's what North Carolina Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco had to say about the political backlash seen in North Carolina after losing out to South Carolina for a $500 million, 1-million-square-foot, 1,700-job tire plant that will be built by Continental Tire. North Carolina Republican Senate leader Phil Berger blamed Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue for losing out to The Palmetto State for the coveted project. Berger cited ethical concerns that a Democratic state senator and other Democratic donors owned the land in Brunswick County, N.C. where the project would have been sited if won by N.C. Gov. Perdue blamed Republicans in North Carolina because they wouldn't sign off on a $45 million cash incentive to the tiremaker. Continental officials maintained that the ethical concerns about the proposed site west of Wilmington, N.C. were not an issue, however, the company made it clear that the $45 million cash package was an issue in winning or losing the project. The plant will be built in Sumter, S.C.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Steit USA Armoring hiring 50 in S.C.

Streit USA Armoring, a maker of armored vehicles, announced plans to expand its operations in Charleston Co., S.C. in the fall quarter. The company will invest $5.8 million and add 50 jobs.

Cummins expands in Charleston, S.C.

Cummins Technical Center Charleston, a designer and tester of diesel engines and parts, announced plans to expand in Charleston Co., S.C. More than $24 million is being invested in the project, which will create 31 new jobs.

Bosch Rexroth invests in upstate S.C.

Bosch Rexroth announced plans to expand its hydraulics manufacturing operations in Greenville Co., S.C. in the fall quarter. The company is investing $80 million in the project and will add 160 new jobs.

Kongsberg Automotive expands in S.C.

In the fall quarter Kongsberg Automotive, a maker of automotive components, announced plans to expand its existing operation in Pickens County, S.C. The $7.3 million investment is expected to generate 300 new jobs.

Another BMW parts supplier expanding

Gestamp South Carolina announced in the fall it is investing $51 million to add space at its facility in Union Co., S.C. The project will generate 100 new jobs.

Sumter, S.C. lands 1,700 jobs from Continental Tire

Continental Tire announced in early October it is bringing a $500 million, 1-million-square-foot tire plant to Sumter, S.C. The project will locate on a megasite on the Sumter-Clarendon County line. The deal will generate 1,700 jobs.

Automotive supplier adding jobs in S.C.

YH America S.C. announced in October it will invest $5 million to expand its Pickens Co., S.C. plant. The deal will create 93 jobs by the end of the year. YH makes hoses for steering systems.

Aiken, S.C. lands $1.2 billion Bridgestone expansion

Aiken County, S.C., located just across the river from Augusta, Ga., landed the biggest corporate capital investment in South Carolina history in late September. Bridgestone Americas will build a new $1.2 billion plant to produce off-road radial tires and will expand its existing passenger tire facility in Aiken. The two projects will generate 850 new jobs and they will add about 2 million square feet of manufacturing space in Aiken.

JR Automation plans $2M plant in rural S.C.

Michigan-based JR Automation Technologies will open a new facility in Pickens Co., S.C. The company designs and manufactures automation equipment for the automotive industry and others. The facility, which will house 54 workers, is the first for the company outside of Michigan.

TENNESSEE

Company expanding in Jackson, Tenn.

Jackson Die Casting announced in December it will invest $4.5 million in its metal castings plant in Jackson, Tenn. The castings are used in industrial, aerospace and automotive applications. The deal will create 58 new jobs.

Titan Tire purchases former Goodyear plant in Union City, Tenn.

For more than a year now it was hard to find bad news coming from the Southern Automotive Corridor (www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com). Really, the only negative was a big one when Goodyear closed its large plant it had operated in Union City, Tenn. since 1969 in July of 2011. That closure, the only significant one in the Southern Auto Corridor in 2011, put 1,800 Tennesseans and Kentuckians out of work. But the bad news was followed by good news in November when Titan Tire announced it had purchased the former Goodyear tire plant. Titan manufactures tires for earth-moving equipment, farm implements and other off-road vehicles. 

Auto supplier creating 150 jobs in Dunlap, Tenn.

In the fall quarter, Mann+Hummel USA announced plans to build an auto parts plant in Dunlap, Tenn. The German automotive supplier will make air intake manifolds and air cleaner systems. The $15 million deal will create 150 jobs.

Canadian company expanding in Tennessee after gaining VW contract

MetriCan Stamping announced in October it will add 60 workers at its tool-and-die plant in Dickson, Tenn. The company is investing $6.3 million in the deal, which will add 60 jobs.

Bridgestone adding capacity at McMinnville, Tenn. plant

Bridgestone continued its string of expansions in the South in the fall of 2011 with a $36.6 million investment in its bus and truck tire plant in McMinnville, Tenn. The deal will create 50 jobs. Earlier in the month of October, Bridgestone announced expansions of its plants in Clarksville, Tenn. and Aiken, S.C.

Bridgestone Metalpha investing $75M in Clarksville, Tenn.

Bridgestone Metalpha USA's plant in Clarksville, Tenn. will begin producing off-road radial steel cord tires beginning in 2015, the company announced in the fall quarter. The Japanese company is investing $75 million in the project, which will create about 50 new jobs.

TEXAS

Continental hiring 100 in Seguin, Tex.

Continental Automotive Systems is expanding its facility in Seguin, Tex. The company operates chassis, safety, power train and interior divisions at the plant. The deal will create 100 new jobs.

WEST VIRGINIA

Hino back to full production in West Virginia

Hino Motors Manufacturing USA has resumed full production at its Williamstown, W.Va. plant following a cutback caused by a parts shortage. Hino cut the plant's production after the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

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