Aerial image shows new Volkswagen Passats in the parking of the VW plant at Enterprise South.WEBCAST
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ABOUT HP PELZERBusiness: Auto soundproofing and interior trimHeadquarters: Witten, Germany; North America, Troy, Mich.Sites: 37 manufacturing locations and five technical centers; in the U.S., the McMinn County site will join facilities in Michigan, Georgia and KansasStaff: More than 5,000 employees in 18 countriesSales: $280 million in North America in 2012AUTO CLUSTERMcMinn County employs over 2,500 people in the auto industry. Among the companies and their workforces:• Denso, 1,100• Manufacturers Industrial Group, 988• Waupaca, 500• E&E Manufacturing, 120Source: McMinn County Economic Development AuthorityTO APPY FOR JOBSContact the Tennessee Career Center in Athens at 866-960-7985
A German automotive company plans to hire 200 people in Athens, Tenn., where it will supply Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant and add to a growing cluster of car-related jobs in McMinn County.
HP Pelzer Automotive Systems plans to locate in a 185,000-square-foot facility and serve as the first tenant in Mt. Verd Industrial Park off Interstate 75, officials said Monday.
The project’s investment is set at about $28 million, Pelzer said in an announcement Monday. A Knoxville group, Partners Development, is buying 23 areas in the industrial park and leasing the new building and the land to HP Pelzer.