Hitachi Automotive Products USA, a subsidiary of Japan-based Hitachi Ltd., will invest US$20.2 million to add an advanced fuel system production line at its plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, according to Business First of Louisville. The company plans to add more than 100 new jobs at the facility, which already employs more than 600 people. "This is great news, not only for HItachi, but also for our community," sys Ken Funasaki, Hitachi Automotive USA's president, in a statement from the Kentucky governor's office. "Hitachi is proud and confident that our highly skilled employees are ready for this new challenge and are excited to be a part of the future of automotive technology." The expansion will facilitate the manufacture of high-pressure fuel pumps that will be used in advanced, direct-injection fuel systems designed to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. The state has offered the company up to $2.9 million in tax incentives over a 10-year period, along with up to $35,257 in incentives for sales and use tax refunds on building and construction materials.
