MONROE, GA. — Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas Inc., a global supplier of automotive parts, has announced a massive, multi-year expansion of its manufacturing plant in Monroe, approximately 45 miles east of Atlanta.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Friday, May 17 that Hitachi will invest anywhere from $100 million to $330 million in expanding its existing facility. The project is expected to bring an additional 100 jobs to Walton County.
The parent company of Hitachi Americas, Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd., is headquartered in Tokyo and manufactures engine powertrain systems, electric powertrain systems and integrated vehicle control systems. The company opened its first facility in Georgia in 1997 and currently employs more than 900 people in the Peach State, making it the largest employer in Walton County.
The expansion project will be unveiled in phases over the next five years, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and parts produced at the plant will continue to be sold to major automotive companies like Ford, General Motors, Honda and Nissan.
Hitachi cited larger growth in the automotive industry and the strength of the local workforce as the key incentives behind the expansion project.
“It’s our goal at the Georgia Department of Economic Development to bring jobs and investment opportunities to our state, and when we establish a relationship with a company like Hitachi, who not only creates jobs but takes an active role in the community, it really takes what we do to an entirely new level,” says Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
A timeline for the initial groundbreaking of the project was not released.
— Taylor Williams