A logistics plant — and 600 jobs — will be added to the cluster of operations that has been growing around the new Kia Motors assembly plant in West Point, government officials announced Monday.

Glovis Georgia, a subsidiary of Korea-based Glovis, will be a logistics provider for Kia.

The facility will not make parts but will instead ensure that parts are ready for the assembly line as they are needed — a method known as "just in time" manufacturing.

The Kia plant and its planned production of 300,000 vehicles a year is seen as a substantial boon to the area, adding about 2,500 jobs. But it also has been attracting satellite operations, and Glovis is the latest example.

Counting the Kia jobs, the Glovis announcement brings to about 5,700 the number of jobs to be added to West Point once Kia and its suppliers are up and running, said Maggie Large, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Good news about jobs comes at a good time: The state's official jobless rate is up from 4.0 percent to 5.0 percent in the past year, according to the state Department of Labor.

Unemployment typically runs slightly higher in Troup County, which includes West Point. Initial jobless claims in Troup County, an indicator of layoffs and job losses, are up about 48 percent from a year ago.

Kia plans full production at the $1.2 billion plant late next year. The 558,131-square-foot Glovis plant will be built at the Kia site and will likewise be ready next year, she said.

Despite some concerns about the long-term health of demand for larger vehicles in an era of high gas prices, the first vehicle to be built at the plant will be a Sorento SUV, a company spokesman said recently.

Kia will probably follow the Sorento with a small car, according to experts.