Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty today joined Aspen Technologies Inc. in announcing that Aspen plans a plant in Manchester, Tenn., that will create 161 new jobs over the next five years.

The $5.1 million investment will lead to a new polyurethane foam molding plant in the Manchester Industrial Park.

"I want to welcome Aspen Technologies to Tennessee and thank the company for choosing Manchester for its newest manufacturing operations," Haslam said. "When a company chooses Tennessee for a new facility, it sends a strong message about our business-friendly environment, and today's announcement supports our goal to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs."

Aspen's customer base is primarily automotive, a news release said.