Greenfield Facility in Southeast U.S. for Global Auto Supplier

After assisting BOCAR, a German-owned leading Tier 1 automotive parts supplier, with selecting the location of their first manufacturing facility in the U.S., SSOE was selected to start work on the full design and permitting. A $115 million investment, the new 350,000 SF facility sits on a 72-acre site just off Interstate 65 and will produce high-end structural aluminum parts for automakers operating in the U.S. once construction is complete.

The location, with its proximity to a nearby rail line and Huntsville International Airport, offered ideal logistical conditions for our client, who supplies parts to all major automotive OEMs. During the site selection process, SSOE assisted in the thorough and technically complex evaluation of 45 potential locations spanning the Southeast U.S. Ultimately, Huntsville was selected due to the skilled workforce availability, AIDT’s training programs and facilities, favorable quality of life, and room for future expansion of the facility in Phase 1.

SSOE was selected to perform complete design of the facility based on our extensive experience with automotive and manufacturing facilities worldwide and portfolio of work in the Southeast U.S., which includes the ACEC award-winning Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. The close partnership developed with BOCAR during the site selection process provided our design team with a clear vision and the ability to deliver the state-of-the-art facility for which BOCAR is known. The new plant will utilize advanced manufacturing techniques.

SSOE is also providing permitting and construction administration services for the project. The new Limestone County facility, which is expected to be completed in September 2019, will generate more than 300 jobs with room to grow.