Business Facilities - April 2008 - (Page 18)

BUSINESS REPORT Mississippi By Leah Tieger If You Build It, They Will Come After Toyota announced it would locate a plant in Mississippi, suppliers have been quick to follow suit … and the suppliers’ suppliers aren’t far behind. O n the heels of Toyota’s announcement that it will build a plant in Blue Springs, MS, several automotive suppliers have announced projects in the state. Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. (TAB) was the first manufacturer to reveal its intentions to open a plant in Mississippi in July 2007. TAB, which will operate under the name Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi Inc., initially planned to employ 260 people, though that number has since ballooned to 400. TAB’s investment in the site has also increased from $180 million to $200 million. Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi Inc. will supply the Blue Springs plant with body-weld, stamped, and plastic parts. The 100MISSISSIPPI FAST FACTS Population (2006): 2,910,540 Largest Cities (2006): Jackson, 176,614; Gulfport, 64,316; Hattiesburg, 48,012; Biloxi, 44,342; Starkville, 22,638 Targeted Industries: Aerospace, automotive, communication and IT, distribution/warehousing, forestry products, furniture, pharmaceuticals, metal fabrication, and plastics Key Incentives: Advantage Mississippi, Industrial Revenue Bond Exemptions, Rural Economic Development Tax Credits, Growth and Prosperity Program, Freight Rail Service Grant Program acre facility is expected to open in 2010. Not surprisingly, this date coincides with the Toyota Highlander SUV plant’s opening. Other notable Toyota suppliers who have announced plans to locate in the state include PK USA and Toyoda Gosei North American Group. PK USA’s stamping and welding assembly manufacturing facility will open in Senatobia, MS in 2010 and will create 150 new jobs. The company, which will invest $35 million in the new facility, will join more than 90 other automotive manufacturing, distribution, and supplier companies currently operating in Mississippi. Toyoda Gosei North American Group is slated to construct its new automotive parts manufacturing plant in Batesville, MS. Set to begin production in 2010, the plant will provide Toyota with interior and exterior plastic automotive components. The new plant, which will cost about $19 million to establish, will create 120 jobs in Batesville. A project team from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) helped Toyoda Gosei select the Batesville site over contenders in at least two other states. “The Mississippi Development Authority and Panola County Partnership have been a valuable resource for Toyoda Gosei as we begin building a positive relationship with the Batesville community,” says Takashi Matsuura, president of Toyoda Gosei. “Both organizations also played a key role in introducing Toyoda Gosei to various incentive Manufacturing Employment in Mississippi’s Golden Triangle 25 Plants 3,429 Employees Clay Oktibbeha 32 Plants 1,598 Employees Lowndes 72 Plants 5,355 Employees SOURCE: MISSISSIPPI MANUFACTURERS DIRECTORY AS OF NOVEMBER, 2004 Mississippi’s Golden Triangle is a region formed by the cities of Columbus, Starkville, and West Point in the counties of Lowndes, Oktibbeha, and Clay, respectively. 18 APRIL 2008

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Business Facilities - April 2008 Contents First Word Snapshots Corporate Moves: Ohio Businesses On the Move Corporate Moves: Nebraska If You Build It, They Will Come A Tale of Two Industries Economic Transformation In the Islands Diversity: A New York State of Mind Growing in the Sun Key Kansas Industries Get a Boost How To Choose the Right Commercial Real Estate Broker Missouri Downtowns Dare to Dream Advertiser Index Ask the Expert

Business Facilities - April 2008

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