North Vernon Industry Corp. (NVIC) will build a 350,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Cullman, Ala., to produce gray iron castings for heavy industrial applications.
NVIC will invest $60 million in the new facility, which will be located on a 32-acre industrial site in south
Cullman.
The company will be incorporated in Alabama as Cullman Casting Corp. The plant will produce castings for off-road vehicles, forklifts and other applications.
NVIC is establishing operations in Cullman to serve the needs of existing customers and to offer the company the potential to capture a larger share of the Southeast U.S. market.
Site work began last month, and the facility is expected to start production in December with about 300 employees.
Cullman Casting will employ the latest technology in casting apparatus and will feature state-of-the-art pollution control devices that guarantee the company will be environmentally friendly, said Jack Bodi, vice president of the North Vernon, Ind.,-based company.
The plant will purchase fine iron shavings and borings generated by manufacturing facilities producing parts used in the assembly of drivetrain components.
NVIC considered sites in five communities in northern and central Alabama, along with sites in Georgia and southern Indiana, before deciding on Cullman.
Between three and five employees may relocate to Cullman from Indiana, said Bodi, who will relocate himself and become vice president of operations for the facility. The remaining work force, including management and factory employees, will be recruited from the Cullman metro area.
“Our impressions of the local community college, technical educational programs and the strong public school system all played an important role in determining whether qualified individuals would be available,” Bodi pointed out. “We believe in hiring local people.”
The Cullman Economic Development Agency worked with the city of Cullman, the Cullman County Commission, the Cullman Electric Cooperative and local industry to convince NVIC to site the facility in the metro.
On the state level, officials in the Alabama Development Office played a role in coordinating the effort to attract the project, Bodi noted.
“They did a great job of bringing in all of the state agencies and the Tennessee Valley Authority to address our concerns and convince us that Alabama was the right state for our new operation,” he said.
Topre, Axsys Open Facilities in Cullman
Cullman’s location midway between Huntsville and Birmingham puts it right in the middle of one of the fastest-growing automotive regions in the world.
A decade ago, no automobiles were manufactured in Alabama. In 2004, automakers around the state produced 800,000 vehicles and that figure will only increase in the coming years.
Honda continues to expand its operation in Huntsville and Hyundai will begin vehicle production in Birmingham early this year and gradually increase production until full capacity is achieved in 2007.
This makes Cullman a good location for automotive suppliers.
Topre America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Topre, opened a 250,000 square foot facility in the metro last year to produce metal stamping components for Honda, Nissan, Toyota and other automakers.
The company currently employs more than 100 workers at the plant.
The company already has expansion plans on the drawing boards and will eventually have 700,000 square feet. The facility will employ up to 300 workers when fully operational.
“We planted our American roots in Cullman,” said Shiro Uchigasaki, president of Topre America.
Alabama also has roots in the exploration of space, and Cullman is part of that quest.
Cullman-based Axsys Technologies is building a portion of a $1.9 billion telescope in a 20,000 square foot facility that became operational last year.
Axsys is manufacturing the mirrors that will be used on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is scheduled for launch in 2011 and will explore deep space.
The project is a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Using beryllium, Axsys will construct 18 4-foot hexagonal segments that will comprise the mirrors.
The company employs nearly 250 workers in Cullman, and it is looking to add another 20 employees in 2005.
The telescope will allow scientists to gather information about the formation of stars and galaxies, the evolution of galaxies and how planetary systems were formed.
“JWST is an epic project, and we are proud that our company’s capabilities are fundamental in the ongoing challenge to develop increasingly advanced optical solutions,” said Stephen Bershad, chairman and CEO of Axsys.
— Tricia Hyland
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