Japan-based automotive supplier Vuteq, which has manufacturing plants in Indiana, Texas and Mississippi, announced Aug. 21 that it would build a $60 million facility to serve Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA in Huntsville.
Gov. Kay Ivey, who joined in the announcement, said the plant will create 200 jobs. Vuteq has operated in North America for over three decades and joins a growing list of Tier 1 suppliers setting up shop around Rocket City.
Vuteq USA will produce interior and exterior plastic-injected parts and various sub-assemblies for Mazda and Toyota at their shared Alabama assembly plant, now under construction on a 2,500-acre tract in the Limestone County portion of Huntsville.
“Vuteq has established a large industrial footprint in the United States, and it’s great to see the company expand that presence to our state.” Gov. Ivey said.
Construction work at Vuteq’s site at 7306 Greenbriar Parkway Northwest, just outside the MTMUS campus, is scheduled to begin in October. Construction work is expected to be complete in September 2020, followed by initial production trials of equipment, molds and secondary systems. A production launch is targeted for 2021.
“Vuteq USA Inc. is very pleased and excited to be opening our next plant in Alabama,” Kazumasa Watanabe, president of Vuteq USA. “Our company is thankful for the support provided by the City of Huntsville and State of Alabama as we begin a new chapter.”
The Mazda-Toyota partnership is investing $1.6 billion to build and equip its Huntsville assembly plant, which will have up to 4,000 workers producing up to 300,000 vehicles annually. Construction on the facility began earlier this year and vehicle production is expected in 2021.
