The manufacturing base supporting General Motors’ Spring Hill plant is about to get even bigger.
Tenneco, a global manufacturer of clean air and ride performance products, announced Wednesday that it will open a 117,000-square-foot factory in late 2016 to supply the growing GM operation.
The new plant, Tenneco’s second in Tennessee, is expected to open in late 2016 with an initial contingent of about 20 employees. That number is expected to grow to about 175 by the end of 2019.
“Tennessee has been fortunate to have a Fortune 500 company of Tenneco’s caliber employ more than 600 Tennesseans in Smithville,” Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said in a news release. “On behalf of Team Tennessee, I want to thank Tenneco for choosing to expand further in Tennessee with a new Spring Hill facility that will provide around 200 high-paying jobs in the heart of GM’s supplier park.”
The new plant is the latest addition to Tennessee’s booming automotive manufacturing industry, which accounts for about one in three manufacturing jobs in the state, according to state economic officials.
Lake Forest, Illinois-based Tenneco’s plant in Smithville employs more than 600 people. The construction of a second plant is the latest feather in the state’s automotive industry cap, joining recent additions from GM and tire giants Hankook and Bridgestone.
It’s also a win for Spring Hill, which is fast becoming a manufacturing and logistics hub in Middle Tennessee.
“I can’t overstate how proud we are to have a third auto part manufacturer choosing to locate its facility in Spring Hill,” said Spring Hill Mayor Rick Graham. “These are good-paying jobs that will contribute to the city of Spring Hill’s goal of continuing to move away from being a commuter city, allowing more people to live where they work, and spawning more local economic growth.”
For more details on the announcement, read the full press release >>