Toyota Alabama engine plant marks 15 years of growth
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The Toyota Alabama engine plant is marking its 15th anniversary this week, celebrating an era that has brought great growth in size, skill and significance for the Huntsville facility and its workforce. The $864 million plant has expanded four times since its groundbreaking in summer 2001, and now produces six times as…
German auto supplier Gerhardi picks Alabama for first U.S. plant
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – At a groundbreaking ceremony today, German auto supplier Gerhardi Kuntstofftechnik announced plans to invest $37.9 million and create 235 jobs in Montgomery to create its first North American manufacturing facility. “This is a great opportunity for Gerhardi, and we are very excited,” Gerhardi Managing Director Reinhard Hoffman said. “Montgomery Industrial Park offers…
New Alabama-built Santa Fe Sport SUVs roll off Hyundai line
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Hyundai’s Alabama auto plant successfully launched mass production of the Santa Fe Sport on Wednesday. Workers built about 50 of the SUVs on the first day, and they will ramp up to possibly 200 per day next week, said Robert Burns, spokesman for the automaker’s Montgomery operations. By the end of the year,…
Toyota Alabama — ‘engine capital of the world’ — marks 15 years
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Long known for rocket engine production, Huntsville is on its way to earning the title of “engine capital of the world,” thanks to the presence of Toyota over the past 15 years. During that time, the Japanese automaker’s Alabama workers have built more than 4.5 million engines at its Huntsville factory, which…
Auto supplier voestalpine to invest $11 million in Alabama facility
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Austrian automotive supplier voestalpine Automotive Body Parts Inc. announced plans today to open an $11.1 million Birmingham facility that’s expected to create 42 jobs. Voestalpine will produce a variety of automotive components, including stamped and hot formed parts, at an existing facility located at 260-A Lyon Lane, in Birmingham’s Oxmoor Valley, according…
Eissmann Automotive to expand Alabama operation with 200 new jobs
PELL CITY, Alabama – German auto supplier Eissmann Automotive will invest $14.5 million to expand its St. Clair County facility with a 130,000-square-foot building and advanced manufacturing equipment for a new production line, officials said today. Eissmann, which has expanded its Pell City facility six times since opening a decade ago, will hire 200 additional…
Buckle Up: Alabama auto industry accelerates growth (Video)
Alabama’s auto industry is on a hot streak, with record production numbers, rising investment, expanded hiring, and redesigned models rolling off the assembly lines. Last year alone, the auto industry added around 6,500 jobs and $3 billion in new investment in the state, according to a preliminary analysis of data in the Alabama Department of…
Alabama plant stars in Mercedes Brand Experience
Alabama isn’t just the center of manufacturing for Mercedes-Benz in the U.S., it’s also become the destination for thousands of the company’s employees on a mission to learn more about the brand. The Mercedes-Benz Brand Immersion Experience kicked off in September 2014, and since then, nearly 9,000 employees of the German automaker’s dealer network have…
Launch Party: Honda starts Ridgeline mass production
LINCOLN, Alabama — The redesigned, Alabama-built Honda Ridgeline pickup is now rolling on the automaker’s Talladega County assembly lines. The 4,500-worker plant today officially marked the start of production for the 2017 model, with a lineoff celebration that featured more than 1,500 cheering employees. “Today we celebrate the dedication of our Alabama team in bringing…
World Stage: 2015 foreign investment reaches $3.4 billion
Foreign direct investment in Alabama topped $3.4 billion in 2015, as companies based in 18 different countries extended their reach into the state. The vast majority of the 95 FDI projects were expansions, including a major addition to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County. Other auto industry investments were growth at Hyundai’s Montgomery factory and…
