Hicks Plastics Invests $10.4 Million To Open Manufacturing Plant In Knoxville, Tennessee
04/01/2015
Hicks Plastics produces automotive lighting components, specializing in molded and vacuum metalized lighting components. The company is expanding its manufacturing operations from Michigan to Knoxville in order to be closer to SL Tennessee, which manufacturers and produces head lamps and tail lamps for the automotive market. At the Knoxville location, Hicks Plastics will produce lighting components for various GM vehicles.
“SL Tennessee was in search of a supplier with metalizing capabilities to take on a significant volume of work in the Clinton area and after several months of careful review, we found Knoxville to be the ideal location with a knowledgeable labor force and a variety of skilled trades and contractors,” Hicks Plastics Vice President Tim Hicks said.
“With the help of these local contractors, Knoxville city officials, and SL Tennessee’s Business Development Manager Scott Laska, Hicks Plastics is on track for summer 2015 production. We are looking forward to a successful partnership with SL Tennessee, the state of Tennessee, and the greater Knoxville area,” Hicks added. The company plans to begin producing in Knoxville in July 2015, becoming fully operational by December 2015. SL Tennessee will be Hicks Plastics’ first customer in Tennessee.
“We are proud to be a part of what we hope will be the first of many similar expansions in the Knoxville area,” Laska said. “We have received excellent support from the city as we worked together from the early stages of this project. We look forward to continuing that relationship in order to expand the scope of our local supply base in the coming months and years.”
“We want to welcome Hicks Plastics to Tennessee and thank them for creating these new jobs,” Governor Bill Haslam said. “We recognize that companies have a lot of choices when it comes to doing business and we work hard every day to create the kind of environment that encourages growth, allowing us to continue our efforts to become the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“With more than 900 automotive suppliers located here, Tennessee is in a great position to capitalize on the geographic shift of automotive manufacturing toward the southeast,” Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said. “Through companies like Hicks Plastics, we will continue to strengthen our supplier network and provide opportunities for growth in our communities. I want to thank Hicks Plastics for their investment and creating these valuable new jobs.”
Project Announcements
Bosch Expands Lincolnton, North Carolina, Operations
06/02/2023
Little Leaf Farms Establishes McAdoo, Pennsylvania, Greens Production Complex
06/02/2023
Swiss-Based Sulzer Pumps Solutions Plans Easley, South Carolina, Operations
06/01/2023
Finland-Based ADMARES Plans Waycross, Georgia, U.S. Manufacturing Plant
06/01/2023
Toyota Plans Georgetown, Kentucky, Electric Vehicle Operations
06/01/2023
Ranger Design Establishes North Charleston, South Carolina, Operations
05/31/2023
Most Read
-
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
Q1 2023
-
Is a Flurry of Fads Shaping Economic Development Policy?
Q2 2023
-
Nearshoring — North America’s Next Factory
Q2 2023
-
Front Line: Water Supply Increasingly Affecting Location Decisions
Q2 2023
-
Life Science Conversions in Real Estate
Q2 2023
-
First Person: Labor Crunch in the Construction Industry
Q2 2023
-
Companies Are Recalibrating Their Priorities
Q1 2023