News

Honda launches Passport SUV production at Alabama facility
LINCOLN, Alabama – Honda Manufacturing of Alabama today celebrated the start of production of the all-new 2019 Honda Passport SUV, which will play a key role in the company’s efforts to meet high demand in the U.S. light truck market. Employees cheered as the new model was driven out in a ceremony that has become…

Alabama counties target Mazda Toyota supply chain in jobs push
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The groundbreaking for the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA auto assembly plant in Huntsville took place just days ago, but the $1.6 billion, 4,000-worker project is already making a big impact across North Alabama. Business recruiters in the 13-county region have been working for months to lure suppliers for the facility. Their…

Westervelt Co. plans Clarke County lumber mill with 125 jobs
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Governor Kay Ivey and officials of Tuscaloosa-based Westervelt Co. today announced that the company will build a new lumber mill in Clarke County, creating 125 jobs. The 134-year-old Alabama company is expanding its wood products manufacturing business through the construction of the new facility, which will produce Southern yellow pine lumber. The…

Consultants: How the ‘Project New World’ site search ended in Alabama
In a podcast series, site selection professionals who assisted Mazda and Toyota provide a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at why the automakers’ $1.6 billion auto assembly plant project is headed to Huntsville, Alabama. In three sessions, a team from JLL Chicago discusses the genesis of what became known as “Project New World,” shares particulars on a…

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing kicks off construction on $1.6B Alabama plant
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – With help from a robot, the first shovel of dirt was turned today at a sprawling site that will be home to Alabama’s next auto assembly plant – a $1.6 billon facility being built by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA that will produce 300,000 vehicles annually, beginning in 2021. The jointly owned-and-operated automotive…

Auto supplier Hwashin to add 50 jobs with $26M Alabama expansion
GREENVILLE, Alabama – Auto supplier Hwashin America Corp. announced plans to expand its Butler County manufacturing operation with a $26 million investment in new equipment and 50 new jobs. Hwashin, which produces body components for Hyundai’s Alabama auto assembly plant, has been in expansion mode since arriving in Greenville in 2003. The operation began with…

Alabama ranks high in magazine’s 2018 business climate rankings
National publication Site Selection again rated Alabama among the top states in its annual State Business Climate survey, reflecting its consistent attractiveness for high-value economic development projects. Overall, Site Selection ranked Alabama No. 8 in its Business Climate analysis, tied with Indiana. In a survey that is a major component of the Site Selection analysis,…

Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit set for Huntsville
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, which begins Thursday afternoon, aims to provide valuable insights into how companies can increase supply chain efficiency and enhance competitiveness to succeed in the global market. The Summit’s 7th installment, with the theme “Securing the Supply Chain,” will be held at the Huntsville Westin,…

Eissmann expands Pell City facility with $14.5 million investment
PELL CITY, Alabama — Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield joined St. Clair County and Pell City officials today to help Eissmann Group Automotive LLC celebrate the completion of a $14.5 million expansion project at the auto supplier’s Pell City campus. Eissmann announced plans in June 2016 to expand its Pell City facility with a new 130,000-square-foot…



