Budd Breaks Ground On New $50 Million Plant
23 July 1997
Budd Breaks Ground On New $50 Million Plant
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky., July 23 -- The Budd Company and Tallent
Engineering Ltd. break ground today for a new $50 million automotive component
plant that expects to employ 250 people. The plant is also equipped for
assembly and painting facilities and will be located in the Hopkinsville
Commerce Industrial Park.
Budd Company officials joined Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, Kentucky
Economic Development Secretary Gene Strong and Hopkinsville business and civic
leaders to break ground and view the plant design. The plant will begin
operations next year.
Siegfried Buschmann, Chairman and CEO of The Budd Company, praised
Kentucky for its "progressive political climate" and "great people," saying
those factors encouraged the decision to locate the plant in Kentucky.
Then new plant combines the resources of two Thyssen Budd Automotive
companies. They are The Budd Company of Troy, Mich., and Tallent Engineering
Ltd., of Newton Aycliffe, England.
Buschmann, who is also chairman of The Thyssen Budd Automotive Company
introduced that organization, which has $3.4 billion in annual sales, 22,000
people, working in North America, South America and Europe in 49 plants. "We
commit ourselves to the communities and we work especially hard to get
involved in civic and cultural affairs for the betterment of the communities
where our company has operations," added Buschmann.
The Budd Company is deeply embedded in the Kentucky region. It began its
investment in this area in 1986 with a $100 million plant in Shelbyville, Ky.,
which produces steel stampings and assemblies for the automotive industry.
Total investment in the Shelbyville operation is now $140 million. Last year
Budd added a $60 million foundry in Tell City, Ind., (right across the river
from Hawesville, Ky.) which produces castings for the auto industry. The
initial investment in the Hopkinsville plant will push The Budd Company's
total investment in Kentucky and southern Indiana to approximately $250
million.
Al Kovach, President of The Budd Stamping & Frame Division, introduced the
new plant manager, Gary Dake, and the new plant controller, Horace Griffin.
Kovach says 230 of the 250 employees will come from the local community.
According to Kovach, Budd is looking for workers who are skilled in
mechanical, electrical and tool and die. Others who will occupy associate
positions will need to demonstrate their ability to work in teams, rotate to
different manufacturing assignments with ease, analyze processes and recommend
improvements.
Kovach estimated the annual payroll at $7.2 million. It is projected that
by the end of 1999, the plant will generate more than $141 million in the
community through direct and indirect jobs, taxes, payroll and construction.
Budd, headquartered in Troy, Mich., produces components such as doors,
fenders, roofs, hoods, and decklids in sheet metal as well as in sheet molded
composite (SMC), and gray iron and ductile iron castings for about 100 current
vehicle models. Budd also makes prototypes, chassis frames and subframes,
cold weather starting and heating products and air bag components for the
automotive industry. Budd is part of Thyssen Budd Automotive Company, a $3.4
billion supplier providing body systems, chassis & suspension parts and
powertrain components to the automotive industry worldwide. Budd operates 30
facilities with 9,000 employees in North America. In addition, the company
has offices in Stuttgart, Germany, and Tokyo, Japan.
SOURCE Budd Company