Global automotive supplier Vuteq USA recently announced plans to invest more than $60 million to open a manufacturing facility to serve the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA (MTMUS) auto assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama.
Construction on the new facility is scheduled to begin in October and is expected to be completed in September 2020, followed by initial production trials of equipment, molds and secondary systems. A production launch is targeted for 2021.
“Vuteq USA Inc. is very pleased and excited to be opening our next plant in Alabama,” said Kazumasa Watanabe, president of Vuteq USA.
Vuteq will hire approximately 200 workers for its first production location in Alabama. The Japan-based company will produce interior and exterior plastic-injected parts and various sub-assemblies for Mazda and Toyota at their shared assembly plant, which is currently under construction in Huntsville.
The Mazda-Toyota partnership is investing $1.6 billion to build and equip its Huntsville assembly plant, which will employ approximately 4,000 workers and produce up to 300,000 vehicles annually. Construction on the facility began earlier this year, with vehicle production expected to begin in 2021.
By that time, a network of parts suppliers will be in place in North Alabama to support the Huntsville assembly operation. Counting Vuteq, five suppliers have already announced plans for facilities that will create nearly 1,700 jobs. Their combined investment in Alabama totals $440 million.
“The automotive cluster growing around Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA is gaining another significant addition with Vuteq’s decision to open a manufacturing facility in Huntsville,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. “Vuteq has established a large industrial footprint in the United States, and it’s great to see the company expand that presence to our state.”
Since 1965, Vuteq has supplied Toyota with various services, including logistics and parts such as interior trim, door trim and cockpit assemblies, among other things. The company, which has more than 13,000 employees, also plans to build a strong partnership with Mazda.
Vuteq launched its North American operations in 1987 at Georgetown, Kentucky, where Toyota operates an assembly plant. Over the years, Vuteq has added U.S. manufacturing plants in Indiana, Texas and Mississippi, as well as a location in Ontario, Canada.
Within the new Alabama facility, Vuteq will host several other manufacturing companies, one of which will be Diversity Vuteq LLC, a minority joint venture, and others yet to be named.
For more information, visit www.vutequsa.com.
