Metalsa Structural Products Inc. plans to expands its Hopkinsville, Kentucky, operation, creating 97 full-time jobs in the years ahead to support its customers.
The manufacturer of chassis structures for light and commercial combustion engine, hybrid and battery electric vehicles is adding new machinery and equipment to accommodate two new manufacturing lines to support customers in Michigan and Missouri. Work on the project is already underway with an expected completion in October 2022.
“If we are going to have a strong economy well into the future, automotive companies — particularly a strong supplier base — will be essential in making that goal a reality. Metalsa is an important part of Team Kentucky with three facilities in Central and West Kentucky, and the company’s continued growth is tremendously good news for our state,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.
The company worked with the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority to receive a 15-year incentive agreement under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $1.5 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $39.1 million and annual targets of 97 full-time jobs across 15 years, paying an average hourly wage of $29 including benefits. In addition, Metalsa was approved for up to $100,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing. And the company will receive no-cost recruiting and job placement services through Kentucky Skills Network. It also attained a performance grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Metalsa employs more than 2,800 people in Kentucky, including 605 in Christian County. The Hopkinsville operation opened in 1989, followed by an Elizabethtown plant in 1994 and an Owensboro facility in 1997.
“Our expansion is significant because it allows us to support our customers’ growing business and meet their demands while also supporting the growth of our community,” said Gustavo Andres, chief commercial and marketing officer at Metalsa.
Metalsa is a subsidiary of Grupo Proeza, a private company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico and employing more than 10,000 people globally. The company has seven locations in the United States.
The company manufactures chassis structural components and its products include frames, subframes and battery structures for pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and crossovers and side rails and frames for heavy trucks and buses in light and commercial combustion engine, hybrid and battery electric vehicle markets.
