The first load of some 3,500 tons of heavy-duty car-making gear reached the Kia Motors plant under construction in West Point Tuesday.
Two giant metal-stamping presses and other equipment arrived at Savannah Port last week, and will be trucked cross-state to West Point. They’ll be installed at the Korean automaker’s first US plant, due to open in early 2009.
“This is a great example of how Georgia’s strengths enable our successes in economic development,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said is a statement released Monday.
“From our ports to our highways to QuickStart’s work force training, Georgia has all the advantages that global companies look for in a place to create new jobs and new investment,” Perdue said.128 separate tractor-trailer loads will ferry the gear 300 miles cross-state to the factory site, officials said.
Kia’s $1.2 billion plant is expected to employ some 2,500 workers, and is considered an economic powerhouse for west Georgia.
“The arrival of these presses inside the state of Georgia is another huge step for Kia as we get closer to going into production in West Point,” said Randy Jackson, Kia’s director of human resources and administration.Secondary and tertiary suppliers are gradually moving into the area, and are expected to boost overall employment figures to some 6,000 jobs for the assembly line and related industries.
“It takes quite an effort between Kia and various state agencies to coordinate the transport of such a large shipment, but Georgia’s ability to facilitate such an effort is one of the main reasons we’re here,” Jackson said in a statement.Company officials tout that the assembly line will be able to produce 300,000 vehicles annually.
Click here for more GPB News coverage about the Kia plant.
