News
Alabama is sweet home for foreign companies, investment
Since Alabama said “Willkommen” to Mercedes-Benz two decades ago, the state has become a top destination for major foreign companies looking for a U.S. home for manufacturing plants and other facilities. A major focus of Alabama’s economic development recruitment efforts has long been foreign companies, and it shows. Airbus, the world’s largest maker of passenger…
Golden Dragon copper tubing plant will provide boost to rural Alabama county
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The Golden Dragon copper tubing plant, now under construction in Wilcox County, will create at least 300 jobs and could serve as a model for rural economic development, according to reports on the al.com web site. The $100 million Golden Dragon manufacturing project is considered a significant economic development victory for rural…
Alabama’s auto manufacturing industry adding investment, jobs and vehicles after record year
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – The Alabama auto manufacturing industry has been running at full throttle, but it’s poised to gain additional velocity as new investment pours into the state. Manufacturing plants are expanding, new suppliers are establishing operations and the industry’s workforce is growing across the state. The expansion activity means that Alabama, already a Top…
Mobile Brookley Aeroplex preparing for Airbus’ touch down in Alabama
MOBILE, Alabama – The home of Airbus Alabama, Mobile Brookley Aeroplex, has a rich aviation history, a unique transportation infrastructure and a bright future as the world’s next production hub for passenger jets. “Our logistics in Mobile are world class,” said Bill Sisson, the former executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority (MAA), which operates the 1,650-acre…
Industrial robots training center prepares Alabama workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs
TANNER, Alabama — Rick Maroney minds a flock of industrial robots in one of the world’s most innovative and futuristic training centers. Maroney is a project manager at Robotics Technology Park (RTP), where workers from manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda and Navistar have come for training on the latest equipment from the world’s top industrial…
Alabama candy manufacturer tastes sweet success in overseas markets
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama– From a modest candy factory tucked away in a corner of suburban Birmingham, Scott Green satisfies sweet-tooth cravings in more than 50 countries across the globe. Green’s firm, Creative Concepts in Irondale, produces Pucker Powder, a sugary confection that is dispensed from custom-designed machines to fill plastic tubes in colorful layers. The company…
Alabama economic development community looks to attract Airbus suppliers
MOBILE, Alabama – Airbus plans to begin manufacturing its A320 family of passenger jets in Alabama in 2015, and the state’s economic development officials have mobilized to help the aviation giant and Airbus suppliers experience a smooth take-off. Alabama officials will work with Airbus to recruit and select its 1,000-strong workforce and on training programs…
Alabama workforce training programs gearing up for Airbus
MOBILE, Alabama – Before Airbus can deliver passenger jets made in Alabama to the world’s airlines, Alabama workforce training programs must first deliver workers who can assemble them. It’s not exactly new territory for a state that has landed mega-projects from Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Austal and other manufacturers in recent years. And the Airbus effort…
Biggest steelmaker eyes ThyssenKrupp Alabama steel plant, a ‘world-class asset’
MOBILE, Alabama – The world’s largest steelmaker wants to buy the ThyssenKrupp Alabama steel plant, calling it a “world class asset,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal’s online edition. ArcelorMittal is one of several bidders for the ThyssenKrupp plant near Mobile, which is capable of producing 5 million tons of steel a…
Interstate 22 boosts economic development opportunities in northwest Alabama, developers say
JASPER, Alabama – Segments of Corridor X – the roadway that will become Alabama’s next interstate – are so new they don’t show up on some GPS devices. But economic developers like David Knight and David Thornell believe that ribbon of asphalt will make Northwest Alabama appealing for new development. Corridor X, or Interstate 22, as…