TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Mercedes-Benz Alabama unit plans to build a 900,000-square-foot logistics facility at the German automaker’s assembly plant in Vance, creating 500 jobs, according to a report in The Tuscaloosa News.

Site preparation already has begun, and Mercedes-Benz officials told the newspaper they expect to have the auto parts staging facility operational by February 2014. Mercedes officials said they have not decided if the automaker will run the logistics operation or if the work will be outsourced, The Tuscaloosa News says.

The 500 jobs are on top of about 1,000 positions Mercedes is adding as it prepares to begin manufacturing the C-Class sedan at the Alabama plant. The company has about 3,000 workers today.

Mercedes-Benz and other Alabama automakers have been in expansion mode, adding capacity and new jobs as the state becomes an even more important center of auto production.