Germany-based Kemmerich Group began construction on a $16 million, 60,000-square-foot, facility at Auburn Technology Park West for its Kemmerich USA subsidiary in Auburn, Alabama.

According to Auburn city officials, the plant could provide up to 160 jobs locally within the next five years. The Auburn location is an important milestone in a globalization strategy for Kemmerich, which already employs over 1,000 people in Europe. Kemmerich underwent an intensive site selection process, considering several states in the southeast before selecting Auburn, Alabama for their new US headquarters and manufacturing facility, the city said.

“We now understand when people told us that Alabama makes a difference,” said Thomas Bergen, CEO of Gebrueder Kemmerich GmbH, thanking the economic development teams of both the State of Alabama and the City of Auburn for their support. "All of us at Kemmerich are looking forward to becoming a part of the Auburn family.”

The Auburn plant, which is scheduled to begin operations in August, will expand the international network of Kemmerich facilities allowing the company to better serve its customers including BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes and Volkswagen. The Kemmerich Group is owned by two brothers, Josef and Christoph Kemmerich, the fourth generation to lead the family business.

Mayor Bill Ham Jr. said; “We’re proud to welcome Kemmerich to the plains, and I’m confident that their trust and investment in our community will be a win for both Kemmerich and Auburn. I look forward to getting to know our newest corporate citizen and to seeing the fruits of this new partnership in our community as more jobs come to Auburn. My special thanks to Governor Bentley, Speaker Hubbard and Greg Canfield in the Alabama Department of Commerce, as well as to the City of Auburn’s Economic Development team for their roles in making this possible.”