Italy-based Sogefi Group Plans $20 Million Expansion At Its Prichard, West Virginia, Auto Parts Manufacturing Plant
11/13/2013
Sogefi's Wayne County plant, which opened in 2004, manufactures parts for automobile engines, including fuel pumps, fuel filters, and oil filters. Parts from the company's West Virginia plant are used by global automotive giants including Toyota, Ford, Fiat, Chrysler, BMW, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, and Kia. The plant produces more than 5 million pumps and filters every year.
Plant modifications, which include repurposing the plant's existing space of 215,000 square feet of production, warehouse and office area, are scheduled to begin in January 2014 and finish by May. New equipment is set to arrive beginning in May and through August 2014. Financing for some of the equipment has already been approved by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.
The auto parts manufacturer will add engine intake manifolds to its Prichard product line that includes integrated fluid filtration products. The Prichard plant will manufacture intake manifolds for General Motors, adding yet another major auto producer to the plant's customer list.
"The plant that we opened in West Virginia in 2004 was the first entry of Sogefi S.p.A into North America," said CEO Guglielmo Fiocchi. "Our company has had great success in West Virginia, and we consider the partnership with the state and local government officials to be important factors."
Hiring for skilled positions including; engineers, quality staff, supervisors and maintenance technicians will start in January 2014. Production positions will be added gradually from around April through August.
"West Virginia offers tremendous value for businesses who need a top-notch workforce and a winning business climate," Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said. "Sogefi's expansion underscores the competitive edge that's attracting more and more businesses to our state."
"I've said time and again, I will go anywhere to bring more good-paying jobs to West Virginia," Gov. Tomblin continued. "When I met with Mr. Fiocchi last month in France, he praised West Virginia's hardworking people and his company's experience in the state. Sogefi's decision to grow its Wayne County operation is a vote of confidence in all the things we've done to make West Virginia a great place to do business."
"I am pleased about the great news for Wayne County and the entire region. Sogefi is growing and that means our economy is improving," said Gary Walton, president of the Huntington Area Development Council. "When HADCO built the spec building that grew into Allevard Sogefi USA, Inc., this was exactly what our board of directors envisioned: more employment and more private investment. This development would not have happened without tremendous cooperation among federal, state and local government."
The West Virginia Development Office, HADCO and the Wayne County Economic Development Authority collaborated on the expansion project.
Project Announcements
Martin Brower Plans Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Distribution Hub
09/26/2023
Latitude Plans Clarendon County, South Carolina, Operations
09/25/2023
DePre Plans Powell, Tennessee, Production Operations
09/25/2023
Boyd Metals Expands Joplin, Missouri, Operations
09/25/2023
Books for Less Plans Westminster, South Carolina, Distribution Hub
09/25/2023
Lyon Shipyard Expands Norfolk, Virginia, Operations
09/25/2023
Most Read
-
2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors
Q3 2023
-
2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth
Q3 2022
-
Why the Southeast Is Winning EV Projects, With More on the Way
Q3 2023
-
EV Impacts to Watch in 2023 and 2024
2023 Auto/Aero Site Guide
-
EV and Semiconductor Projects Stand Out in States Receiving Area Development’s 18th Annual Shovel Awards
Q2 2023
-
Power-Intensive Site Selection
Q3 2023
-
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
Q1 2023