BMW supplier Tower International officially opened its new $75 million 264,000-square-foot Upstate production facility on Monday, June 5.
The Michigan-based manufacturer said the plant, located at 141 Southchase Blvd. in Fountain Inn, will build metal components and assemblies for BMW Manufacturing Co. in Spartanburg County.
About 40 employees have been hired for the facility. As production ramps up, the company said it plans to hire 100 more people by 2019.
“We’re happy to be in a position to grow with BMW,” said Jim Gouin, CEO of Tower International.
Gouin said Tower International completed its initial public offering in 2010. At the time, its North American revenue totaled $640 million.
With “the recovery of the North American market and substantial new business wins,” Gouin said the company’s sales doubled to $1.3 billion in 2016.
“Going forward, we project meaningful continued growth well in excess of the automotive industry annual production for the coming years,” he said. “The programs here will play a big part in Tower’s continued growth.”
Tower International spokesman Derek Fiebig said when the Tier 1 supplier initially announced its plan in 2015, it hoped to invest $44 million to move into what was originally a 206,000-square-foot speculative building and create 130 jobs.
He said the company decided in 2016 to boost its investment to expand the facility and its prospective workforce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqiuOLLEMzU&feature=youtu.be
“We have a whole new category, a whole new type of work—highly skilled, highly specialized, based on brainpower,” said S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster. “And that’s what this company represents. … South Carolina is going to the top. There’s not another place that can keep up with us. If we don’t mess it up; if we don’t tax the people too much; if we don’t put regulations in the way to inhibit innovation and investment, then South Carolina is going to lead the country.”
Fiebig said the company is currently using only about 40 percent of the facility, but it plans to occupy more of the building as its business continues to grow.
The company has brought in a small army of robots and two massive 2,000-ton AIDA metal stamping presses.
Gouin said Tower International is the first new facility for the company since it opened a plant Shephersville, Ky., in 2014.
“I think it’s fantastic that Tower International is here in Greenville County,” said Tavia Gaddy, project manager for the Greenville Area Development Corp. “It gives our citizens more opportunities to better themselves. … This company was great to work with. They are very hands-on. At the corporate level, they have gone out of their way to make sure this plant has a local feel. We are very excited.”
Founded in 1993, Tower International has 23 production facilities in North America and Europe.
The company said it serves 11 out of the world’s 12 largest original equipment manufacturers in the automotive industry and reported revenues of more than $1.9 billion this past year.
For more information, visit www.towerinternational.com.
