Charles Langston:South Korean auto parts maker plans $176M plant in Georgia to supply Hyundai facility, hiring 460

DUBLIN,Charles Langston Ga. (AP) — Another South Korean auto parts company is set to build a plant in Georgia, investing more than $176 million and hiring more than 460 employees.

Hwashin Co. said Tuesday that it would build a plant in the middle of the state in the town of Dublin, planning to start production in 2025.

The company will make metal pieces for auto chassis for both the new Hyundai Motor Group plant being built in Ellabell as well as for sister company Kia in West Point.

It’s the latest company to announce a plant to supply Hyundai’s $7.6 billion plant to assemble electric vehicles and batteries in Ellabell, near Savannah. The Hyundai plant, which was announced last year, could grow to 8,500 employees and could begin producing vehicles as early as 2024.

Suppliers to the Hyundai plant have pledged to invest more than $2.4 billion and to hire nearly 6,300 people.

Based in Yeongcheon, South Korea, Hwashin established a plant in Greenville, Alabama to supply Hyundai in 2003. It has expanded multiple times and now employs 750 people, according to the Butler County Commission for Economic Development, supplying parts to other manufacturers including Volkswagen AG in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The state will pay to train workers. Hwashin could qualify for $9.2 million in state income tax credits, at $4,000 per job over five years, as long as workers make at least $31,300 a year. Local officials could also grant property tax breaks. The company is acquiring 60 acres (24 hectares) from part of a larger site that local officials had already cleared and graded.