Mercedes-Benz U.S. International began construction in February 2005 on a $22.5 million service parts warehouse sited on 44 acres in Vance, Ala. Designed by Designform Inc., the 518,000-sf facility will be constructed by Cooper Construction.
Glendale, Wisc.-based Johnson Controls will build a new $26.5 million manufacturing plant in Lucenec, Slovakia. The facility will begin producing automotive seating products in mid-2006 and will employ approximately 340 workers by 2007. The plant will supply Kia Motors Corp., a company that is also constructing a facility in the area.
Honda Motor Co . is planning to construct a 250,000-sf automatic transmission assembly plant in Tallapoosa, Ga. Production will begin at the $100-million facility in fall 2006. The plant will produce 300,000 transmissions annually for the Odyssey minivans and Pilot SUVs manufactured at Honda's Lincoln, Ala., facility.
Toyota Motor Corp . will double the size of its Huntsville, Ala., engine plant with a $250-million expansion. Bringing the facility to a total worth of $490 million, the project will enable the plant to produce approximately 400,000 engines annually upon completion. The expansion of the plant, which opened in mid-2003, is the second in fourteen months. The first $20-million expansion was initiated in July 2003.
La Palma, Calif.-based Genera Corporation has completed its new 192,600-sf facility in Aurora, Illinois. Architectural services for the design/build project were provided by Ware Malcomb; Duke Construction of Lisle, Illinois, was the general contractor. The building houses warehouse space and 6,200-sf of office space. Genera is a manufacturer of automotive replacement lamps.
General Motors Corp. is investing $203 million in a 55,000-sf expansion of its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan. The project will enable GM to start producing a Saturn model at the facility. Additionally, GM will construct a new 404,000-sf parts distribution center in Norton, Mass., that will handle automotive replacement parts shipments to over 400 dealerships in seven states.
Aisin Light Metals has completed a $5.8-million facility in Marion , Ill. Designed by Musset Nicholas & Associates of Indianapolis , the 129,600-sf building will accommodate the production of components and systems for the automotive industry. The general contractor for the project was Doster Construction working with venture partner Zeller Construction of Wichita .
Lear Corp ., a Southfield, Mich.-based manufacturer of auto parts, is opening a $4-million, 53,760-sf facility at the Ford Motor Co.’s manufacturing campus in Chicago . The plant will produce headliners and package trays for several Ford models. Lear is one of twelve auto suppliers located in Ford’s 155-acre supplier manufacturing campus.
Koyo Steering Systems will initiate construction in February 2005 on a $30 million factory sited on 42 acres in Ennis, Texas. Slated for completion in October 2005, the facility will produce one million hydraulic and electric steering systems annually; fifteen percent of that will go to supply Toyota's new San Antonio plant.
Troy, Mich-based auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. broke ground on the China Technical Center in Shanghai , China, in July 2004. Slated to open in 2005, the research and development facility will employ 500 engineers, scientist, and technicians developing components and providing customer support for applications and systems engineering. Delphi plans to employ up to 1,900 people at the center by 2009. Additionally, Delphi has also opened a second technical center in Seoul , South Korea .
Piedmont Triad International Airport has awarded John S. Clark Co. of Mount Airy the $2.9 million construction contract for a new 41,550-sf concourse. The expansion will accommodate eight gates, departure lounges, and a concession area.
Toyota Industries and Denso Corp. are jointly establishing TD Automotive Compressor Georgia LLC with a $100-million factory in Jefferson , Ga. Construction will begin on the 344,000-sf facility in August 2004 with production slated to begin in December 2005. By 2010, the plant will produce 2 million energy efficient variable displacement type compressors per year.
ABC Group, a manufacturer of automotive systems and components, will invest $19 million to open a new 140,000-sf manufacturing facility in London , Ky.
Thomas Built opened its new 275,000-sf bus manufacturing plant in south High Point, N.C. in early June 2004. Designed to make 44 school buses daily, the $39.7-million plant is already running at full capacity due to rising demand by school districts and is producing 60 buses a day.
JetBlue has awarded Suitt Construction the design/build contract for its new $75-million training center at Orlando International Airport. The 100,000-sf facility will initially house eight pilot flight training simulators with the capacity to expand in phases to between 12 and 16 simulators. An auditorium, multiple classrooms, and two cabin training simulators will also be included in the facility. Completion is expected in spring 2005. Suitt Construction, based in Greenville, S.C., will manage the project through its Orlando office.
