Clarios, a global automotive battery manufacturer, plans to complete a $16 million expansion of its plant in Oconee County.
The manufacturing plant in West Union will undergo a 9,000-square-foot expansion. The project will include infrastructure improvements and adding new molding and assembly equipment.
The expansion will help increase the plant’s production of components for absorbent glass mat batteries. These modern low-voltage batteries are used in cars, trucks, boats and other motorized vehicles.
“Clarios is proud to be a part of South Carolina’s automotive sector, a globally recognized manufacturing hub for high-performance vehicles and their advanced components,” said Gerardo Gonzalez Aleu, Clarios’s president of U.S. and Canada.
Twelve new jobs will be added at the Oconee County manufacturing plant as a result of its expansion. Aleu said South Carolina provides a strong base of highly trained, skilled and knowledgeable workers.
A groundbreaking for Clarios’s manufacturing plant expansion was held June 11. Gov. Henry McMaster said he is pleased to see Clarios thriving and expanding in South Carolina.
“The company’s investment and new jobs represent increased opportunities for Oconee County and reinforce that South Carolina is a place where businesses can prosper,” McMaster said.
More than 150 million batteries are produced each year by Clarios throughout the world. Along with the Oconee County manufacturing plant, the company also operates a distribution center in Florence County.
The expanded operations at the Oconee County manufacturing plant are planned to be online in January 2025.
