Ho Hum Hiring Headline (032907)
From Alabama — auto-industry jobs are being announced literally left and right:
Jobs follow automakers down South
Sunday, March 25, 2007When Korean automaker Kia said it would build a $1.2 billion assembly plant in Georgia a year ago, Alabama officials vowed the project would mean hundreds of jobs for Alabama residents.
Not everyone believed them, but clearly those Alabama officials were right. This month, Kia’s big sister, Hyundai, said it would expand its Montgomery operation to include a plant that makes engines for those Kia cars assembled in West Point, Ga.
The payoff: 522 jobs and $270 million in new investment.
….. Already, several companies that will supply Kia have said they will create jobs and invest money in Alabama. That’s because they’re already here, supplying Hyundai, and now will expand to serve Kia.
Just one example: HS Automotive, which makes rubber products used in Hyundai vehicles, said it will add 500 jobs to its Enterprise factory as part of an expansion to supply Kia.
Kia’s decision meant 170 new supplier jobs in Opelika, 150 in Dadesville and 120 in Tallassee.
Alabama’s ability to win jobs with this project underscores its growing stature in the industry. It also makes you wonder if Toyota’s decision to build an assembly plant in Tupelo, announced this month, could result in spinoff jobs in Alabama.
