Automotive Suppliers Ramp Up Alabama Projects

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Yorozu Corporation (Yokohama, Japan) has started construction on a $100 million grassroot automobile suspension part manufacturing plant in Jasper, Alabama. The new plant will be located at a 50-acre site in the Jasper Industrial Park.

The plant will consist of a 150,000-square-foot building and will create 300 jobs, adding momentum to Alabama's growing auto manufacturing sector when it is completed in 2017. The facility will supply several auto assembly plants with suspensions and other components. This plant will utilize state-of-the-art technology for production and logistics and is aiming to be the No. 1 suspension parts production facility in the world.

Yorozu has chosen Hazama Ando Corporation (Worthington, Ohio) as the general contractor for the project, which started construction in the first quarter of 2016. The project is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2017, with production starting soon after.

David Knight, executive director of the Walker County Development Authority, said the recruitment of "Project Stamp," as the project was known, relied on a teamwork approach that brought together local leaders, state officials and representatives from utilities and boards in the state of Alabama.

The Yorozu plant is the latest in a series of major auto-related projects announced recently in Alabama. Mercedes-Benz announced a $1.3 billion expansion to prepare its Alabama facility for the production of its next-generation SUVs, adding 300 new jobs. The facility is currently under construction and due to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition, Kamtek Incorporated (Birmingham, Alabama) announced it will construct a $450 million expansion at its automotive panel stamping plant in Birmingham that will create 350 jobs. This project has also begun construction and is to be completed by the first quarter of next year.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five 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. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.