“Kia suppliers like Hanil E-Hwa continue to strengthen the recovering economy in West Georgia and throughout the state,” Perdue said. “I am proud to say that we can now directly attribute the creation of nearly 3,000 jobs in this region to Kia and its supplier companies.”
The Korean-based company will invest $8.45 million in a 178,354-square-foot building now occupied by Emerson Network Power-Energy Systems at 104 Wiley Road. The sale is expected to close Aug. 1, and production is scheduled to start in October.
Emerson, which made cabinets and enclosures for the telecommunications industry, announced plans in January to close the plant by the end of this month, leaving 180 people without jobs.
Hanil E-Hwa makes automotive interior parts such as door trim, seats, head lining, shelf covering and package trays. The company uses resin pellets and injection molding for the door trim, painted interior door parts and wheel caps.
“We’re real excited to be able to fill a building that would have been empty and provide an opportunity for more people to be employed,” said Jane Fryer, secretary of the LaGrange Development Authority.
With Kia Motors in nearby West Point, the LaGrange facility provides “greater access to one of our primary customers,” said Hanil E-Hwa spokesman Yang Suk Ryu.
“We’re excited to expand our U.S. operations and take advantage of the highly skilled workforce in this region to create meaningful opportunities in this community and better serve our customers,” he said.
The Korean company “has been in our sights for a long time,” said Development Authority Chairman Diethard Linder. “I was left with a great impression” after visits to the company’s plant in Seoul in May 2007 and its U.S. operations in April of this year.
Mayor Jeff Lukken said the city is “looking forward to helping them equip and staff their new facility so they can start production as soon as possible.”
The state Quick Start program will provide free customized workforce training, a standard incentive for companies to create jobs in Georgia.
n Those interested in working at the new plant may mail a resume to Hanil E-Hwa Human Resources Department, 104 Wiley Road, LaGrange, GA 30240.
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