SELMA, Alabama – Seoyon E-Hwa Interior Systems, a Tier 1 supplier to Alabama’s Hyundai assembly plant, announced plans Tuesday to invest more than $5 million to expand its industrial operation in Dallas County.
Seoyon E-Hwa will add 60 jobs to its current workforce of 436 in Selma, which makes the company one of the county’s largest employers.
“We’re excited that they’re here, and we’re excited that they’ve grown from 125 jobs in 2005 to currently 436,” said Wayne Vardaman, executive director of the Selma & Dallas County Economic Development Authority.
Vardaman said he expects Seoyon E-Hwa’s expansion project to get under way in April, with a potential completion by the end of September. The company’s total investment will be $5.14 million.
Seoyon E-Hwa’s facility at Selma’s Craig Industrial Park produces several molded plastic interior trim parts for vehicles assembled at the massive Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama plant in Montgomery. This expansion is in conjunction with new vehicle production beginning later this year at HMMA’s plant.
Based in South Korea, Seoyon E-Hwa’s roots date to the early 1970s and the beginning of that nation’s auto industry. Today, the company has plants around the world and serves automakers including Kia, Volkswagen, Ford and Nissan, according to its website.
GROWTH PLANS
Seoyon E-Hwa’s expansion project was formally announced Tuesday during an event at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.
Local officials cheered the company’s growth plans.
“I’m just excited that they are here in Selma and Dallas County, that we are open for business, and that we are growing and our companies are growing,” state Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier told the Selma Times-Journal. “We are so excited to have 60 people who’ll have the opportunity to be employed …
“Every time I hear about a new job, I’m excited for that,” she added.
Vardaman said he expects to see additional growth projects taking shape in Dallas County.
