It was standing room only Wednesday afternoon in Hopkinsville, when noted dignitaries — wrapped around Governor Andy Beshear — gathered in a conference wing of The Bruce Convention Center and welcomed the announcement of Toyota Boshoku Western Kentucky LLC, and its arrival in the southern Pennyrile.
Located inside of Christian County’s South Park near U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and the Walmart Distribution Center, construction of a 327,000-square-foot, 48-acre facility began this past June.
Now, the process is full throttle. And behind the investment: $225 million in spending, $135 million in capital, a promise of more than 150 hourly and salaried positions, and an operations schedule set to start sometime in 2025.
Per officials, recruitment and hiring has already begun for the company — one that will produce automotive interior products like seat tracks, seat recliners and geared seat motors for Toyota, BMW, Subaru and more.
Masayoshi Shirayanagi, president/CEO of the Toyota Boshosku Corporation, called Hopkinsville and Christian County “their best choice” for expansive efforts — efforts that involve more than 5,000 Americans and investments north of $1 billion in America.
Shirayanagi was presented a key to the city by Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight and Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam, with the latter giving nod to prior local leaders Wendell Lynch and Steve Tribble being in attendance.
Gilliam also noted that Christian County was “more than ready” for this “smart plant,” which — according to the Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies — is a facility composed of “smart assets” that not only provide basic process functions, but also provide “proactive feedback on economic, environment, health and safety performance” of its assets in aggregation with other assets, and in real time.
Beshear arrived from a Madisonville ribbon cutting for Ahlstrom — a $68 million facility with 50 full-time jobs related to the manufacturing of fiber-based specialty materials — and quickly praised Toyota Boshoku leadership for its continued investment in the Commonwealth.
Furthermore, Beshear highlighted Kentucky’s continued push and success in site development — which as of late has brought high-quality jobs in several different economic sectors.
Lee Conrad, chairman of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council, noted this is the 12th Japanese company to locate within this region.
SWK EDC Executive Director Carter Hendricks, meanwhile, said announcements like this require preparation, persistence and partnerships.
The 101st Airborne Division’s HQ Honor Guard presented and retired the colors.
With its world headquarters in Kariya City, Japan, Toyota Boshoku America is based in Erlanger, and worldwide the umbrella employs more than 13,000 people in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
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