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Auto supplier Grupo Antolin to open Alabama facility with 150 jobs
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Robert Bentley announced today that global auto supplier Grupo Antolin plans to invest nearly $10.4 million to establish a manufacturing facility in Jefferson County that will employ 150 people by 2020. The Birmingham area location will add to Spain-based Grupo Antonlin’s extensive worldwide operating footprint, which includes 161 production plants and…
Cascades Sonoco to expand Alabama facility with $16M investment
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Canada-based Cascades Sonoco plans to invest $16 million to expand its Birmingham facility, creating 20 jobs. The investment will be made in water-based coating technology to provide coated paper and paperboard substrates using the company’s new FlexShield, FluteSHIELD and SurfSHIELD coatings. “This investment represents a significant geographic expansion for water-based products by…
GLOBAL POWER: Alabama engine operations fill key role for automakers
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Alabama is not only one of the top producers of vehicles in the U.S., it’s also a major source of the power under their hoods. Last year, state manufacturers combined to turn out more than 1.75 million engines, and those assembly lines continue to achieve new milestones this year. Leading the pack…
Key factories in new GE Aviation CMC material system rising in Alabama
Aerospace giant GE Aviation is on the final phase to create its most vertically integrated, new material system ever introduced in the United States – and facilities in Alabama will play a major role. By 2020, GE Aviation is projected to have more than 750 U.S. employees dedicated to its advanced ceramic matrix composites (CMC)…
Gallup: Alabama has nation’s most engaged workforce
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – A new Gallup poll finds that Alabama has the nation’s highest percentage of “engaged” workers who are enthusiastic about their jobs. Gallup’s survey found that 37 percent of Alabama workers are engaged, ahead of Delaware, Kentucky and Louisiana at 36 percent and nine other states at 35 percent. The U.S. average was…
HISTORY: Alabama auto production races past 10 million mark
There’s no question 2016 was a banner year for Alabama’s auto industry, in more ways than one. For one thing, workers at the Alabama facilities of Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai combined to build more than 1 million vehicles for the second consecutive year and reached a new record high output. But another major milestone was…
Alabama exports accelerate to $20.6 billion in 2016, breaking record
Alabama exports rose to a record level in 2016, topping $20 billion for the first time on gains from overseas shipments of Alabama-made products such as transportation equipment, chemicals and paper products. Figures from the U.S. Commerce Department show that Alabama exports totaled $20.55 billion last year, an increase of 6.4 percent from 2015’s results.…
Mercedes held keys to start Alabama auto industry boom
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – In the 20 years since Mercedes-Benz began producing the M-Class SUV in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama’s auto industry has roared to life in communities across the state. Vehicle production has steadily risen to make Alabama one of the Top 5 auto-producing states in the U.S. Last year, for the second year in a…
Shoals’ Forrest Wright receives top Alabama economic development award
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The Alabama Department of Commerce recognized Forrest Wright, president of the Shoals Economic Development Authority (SEDA), with the David R. Echols Distinguished Service Award for exemplary service in economic development. This award, presented annually at the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) winter conference, is the highest statewide recognition available to the…
20 years ago, Alabama’s auto industry started rolling with first M-Class
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Twenty years ago today, the first customer-ready M-Class SUVs began rolling off the Mercedes-Benz auto assembly line in Tuscaloosa County, launching new eras for both the automaker and the state of Alabama. For Mercedes, the M-Class was the first mass market SUV, and its success helped spin off a full range of…