Kentucky Leads U.S. in Planned Automotive Kickoffs in Second-Quarter 2015

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With six projects totaling $288 million in value, Kentucky leads the U.S. in spending for Automotive Industry projects that are slated to kick off in the second quarter this year. The big-ticket item in Kentucky is the planned kickoff of a $261.2 million metalforming plant expansion in Bowling Green.

Industrial Info is tracking the expansion by global automotive supplier Magna International (NYSE:MGA) (Aurora, Ontario). It includes construction of a new, 175,000-square-foot building at the site and about $185 million in equipment. Magna International is working on the project through its subsidiary, Bowling Green Metalforming LLC. URS Corporation (NYSE:URS) (San Francisco, California) is serving as construction manager, and Scott Murphy & Daniel LLC (Bowling Green) is the general contractor. Completion is set for first-quarter 2016.

Industrial Info is tracking a total of 34 U.S. Automotive Industry projects worth $823.9 million, which are scheduled to kick off in second-quarter 2015. This includes seven projects, valued at $219 million, which are still in the planning phases, where plenty of factors could alter their timing or outcome.

Michigan closely follows Kentucky, with eight projects valued at $215 million. The largest of these is the unconfirmed Lake Orion assembly plant expansion by General Motors (NYSE:GM) (Detroit, Michigan), which has a total investment value of $160 million.

Next comes Tennessee, which has two automotive projects valued at $155 million that are scheduled for kickoff in the second quarter. DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee Company, part of Japan's DENSO Corporation, plans to kick off the $85 million expansion of a fuel injector manufacturing plant, located in Athens. A 224,000-square-foot facility will be built as part of the project to increase production capacity. Completion is slated for third-quarter 2016.

No. 4 is Ohio, with two projects valued at $90 million. Stanley Electric Company Incorporated (London, Ohio) is preparing to expand its automotive lighting plant at London. The $82 million project is slated for completion in first-quarter 2016.

Indiana comes in next with four projects valued at $27 million. The largest of these in investment value is OMR Automotive's (Brescia, Italy) $10 million grassroot automotive stamping manufacturing plant in Speedway, Indiana. Project completion is expected in fourth-quarter 2015.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.