Many times during the past few years, Upstate business leaders have uttered the phrase, “This isn’t your granddaddy’s manufacturing,” to describe next-generation industrial operations cropping up across the region.
If the trend isn’t evident enough in the higher level of investment by new and expanding global manufacturers, increased wages, and higher demand for skilled labor, one needs to look no further than the plants themselves.
The landscape has continued to become populated by clean, sparkling facilities fueled by technology, efficiency, and the pride and expertise of the hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of associates they employ.
One good example of the new class of companies that have flocked to the Upstate is Canada-based Magna International’s $37 million, 255,000-square-foot seating plant in Spartanburg County that will celebrate its grand opening on March 26. The state-of-the-art facility, developed by Charlotte, N.C.-based SunCap Property Group and recently acquired by Oregon-based Ernie’s Pride, is at 3042 Highway 290 in Moore.
It is perched on more than 20 acres of Greenville-based Pacolet Milliken Enterprises’ Tyger River Industrial Park. The plant, Magna’s fourth production facility in South Carolina, is gearing up to begin producing seat assemblies for Spartanburg County-based BMW Manufacturing Co.’s X5, X6, and X7 models.
Some BMW associates refer to those models as the “Boss,” “Beast,” and “President,” respectively. Production will begin ramping up in July for the official start of production, or SOP, expected for Aug. 1.
Steve Salvatore, plant manager for the Magna facility, said the program’s total capacity is 1.5 million units for 7.5 years. At full capacity, the plant will likely run two shifts and produce about 700 seats per day. Magna has already hired about 220 associates for the facility, Salvatore said. The plant could eventually employ more than 600 people.
Salvatore said his employees will manufacture some of the “most complex” seats ever produced. Those seats have a range of options, including USB ports, massage functions, lumbar support, and more.
“I’m proud of what our team has accomplished so far,” Salvatore said. “We’ve had a lot of successes. But we aren’t successful yet. We know our SOP is in five months and we aren’t taking anything for granted.”
Salvatore, originally of Canada, has worked for Magna for 23 years. His time with the company has included stints in Italy, Canada, and Tennessee, with eight different Magna divisions. Although his previous position with Magna was a plant manager position in Tennessee, Salvatore said this is the first new plant he has managed.
The company entrusted him to come up with the new Spartanburg County plant’s design. And design he did. About 18,000 square feet of the plant is for non-production functions, such as management, customer service, IT, and engineering. The office space features a café, collaborative areas, a training room, and three separate meeting rooms named after geographic regions where the company operates—Ontario, Bavaria, and Michigan. Employees have a fitness center, training room, a wellness room, first aid room, and a cafeteria.
Near the offices, three shipping containers stacked one top of the other have been converted into a “Supplier City.” At the heart of the facility is an “Operators Mezzanine” which is basically a two-story office that provides a bird’s-eye view of the production floor and warehouse areas.
Under construction is an automatic storage and retrieval system with the capacity for 1,380 pallets that will enable the plant to supply seats in the exact sequence they need to be sent out. The production floor and warehouse areas are climate controlled, which means employees can stay cool in the summer and warm during the winter.
The facility has 14 bay doors, 32-foot-tall ceilings, and LED lights that have motion sensors. Lights above the assembly line are angled to prevent shadows.
A recruitment center has been established at the plant. Salvatore said the company is hiring for a variety of positions. He said pay starts at about $15 per hour and previous manufacturing experience isn’t a prerequisite.
The facility will not employ temporary workers. And even a high school diploma or GED, which are typically required by most companies, are not necessarily vital to prospective employees, Salvatore said. “I’m looking for energy and attitude,” he said.
State Rep. Mike Forrester, R-Spartanburg, and director of economic development for Spartanburg Community College, called Magna and other manufacturing operations recently launched by Brose and Kobelco “game changers” for Spartanburg County and the Upstate.
For 150 years, manufacturing has been vital to the region’s economic growth and culture. As of December, the Upstate was home to more than 1,800 manufacturers, including about 460 foreign companies, according to Upstate SC Alliance.
Advances in technology, the rising demand for quality and efficiency, and other factors, have pushed many of those companies to redefine what manufacturing means in the 21st century. The bottom line: Opportunities for Upstate residents to pursue rewarding careers in manufacturing appear to be more bountiful than ever before.
