Hybrid battery maker locating in
Jackson County, creating about 2,000 jobs. $1.67 billion investment is
largest-ever project for Jackson County, 11/27/18. Gainesville Times.
An estimated 2,000 jobs are coming to
Jackson County as Korean car battery maker SK Innovation locates a new, $1.67
billion plant in Commerce.
The move, announced Tuesday, Nov. 27, by
Gov. Nathan Deal, will add more than 2 million square feet of manufacturing
space in Jackson.
The first phase of the project will
begin in early 2019 and includes hiring 1,000 advanced manufacturing employees
and the construction of a 1 million-square-foot facility. Another 1,000 would
be hired in the second phase.
It’s the largest-ever commercial project
for Jackson County, said John Scott, head of economic development for the
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve had some very large ones, but
they’ve only been about 1,000 employees,” Scott told The Times on Tuesday.
“This is quite large for us — this is 2,032 jobs that are expected to be
created between now and 2025.”
A groundbreaking has been set for early
2019, he said.
The plant will be constructed at Commerce 85 Business Park, according to De’Osha Randolph,
spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
“SK
Innovation has
been actively looking for a production base to secure competitiveness in the
battery business in the major global market,” said Kim Jun, chief executive of
SK Innovation, in the announcement from Deal’s office. “With our business in
the hub of the global auto industry, we will grow as a top player in the
battery business.”
The business park that will be home to
the plant is more than 330 acres and sits between Maysville and Commerce along
Interstate 85. The site is about 22 miles from Gainesville and about 10 miles
from the Hall County line in Gillsville.
Construction is expected to last about
two years and full production is scheduled to begin in 2022.
“It will be probably about one to two
years before they’re really built out, but they’ll continue expanding and
investing over the next five years,” Scott said. “We anticipate them to start
doing some hiring for manufacturing … probably in 2020 or 2021, but the
majority of their construction is really going to start picking up in early
’22.”
SK Innovation produces lithium-ion
batteries for hybrid vehicles. The company is a piece of one of South Korea’s
largest corporations, SK Group, whose customers include Mercedes-Benz and
Hyundai-Kia Motors, according to the announcement.
“SK Group was among the first Korean
investors in Georgia, and has a longstanding history in our state,” said Pat
Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Deal said the announcement represents a
broader interest from Korean companies in locating sites in Georgia. “By
choosing Georgia, SK Innovation will have access to our skilled workforce and
extensive manufacturing resources, while also joining a number of other
Korean-affiliated companies that operate manufacturing facilities across the
state,” Deal said.
International investment in North
Georgia has been a recurring theme in 2018, as several German companies have
announced new or expanded plants. In October, Hall County business
leaders visited Germany on a trade mission.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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