Another automobile parts supplier from South Korea announced it will open a factory in coastal Georgia to support Hyundai Motor Group’s future $5.54 billion electric vehicle plant.
Seohan Auto Georgia, which develops axles and brake systems, said Tuesday it will build a $72 million factory in Liberty County, which will employ 180 workers, according to a news release. Seohan is the seventh parts supplier to rush to the Savannah area to support Hyundai’s forthcoming plant, which state leaders tout as the largest economic development project in Georgia history.
“The Hyundai Metaplant is and will continue to be an economic driver for the entire region, creating more jobs for hardworking Georgians in communities like Liberty County,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in the release.
Seohan operates multiple facilities across the U.S., including a large and expanding plant in Auburn, Alabama. This will be the company’s first factory in Georgia.
It’s slated to open in late 2024 at the Dunwoody Court Site within the Tradeport East Business Center. Seohan joins six other South Korean companies by announcing factories in the four-county region surrounding Hyundai’s future plant.
Hyundai broke ground in October on what it calls its Metaplant America, which it plans to open in 2025 along I-16 about 30 miles west of Savannah. Hyundai has promised to hire 8,100 workers at the EV plant, and state and local leaders have touted Hyundai’s on-site jobs and investment as well as commitments to bring thousands more jobs at suppliers around Georgia as justification for a record-breaking $1.8 billion incentive package.
Since 2020, more than 35 EV-related projects have been announced in Georgia, totaling more than $21 billion in investment and 27,800 jobs, according to Kemp’s office. Hyundai’s suppliers represent more than $1.8 billion in investment, which the state previously said surpasses initial estimates by at least $800 million.
“We believe Georgia will be the center of the EV industry, and will be a new frontier for Seohan’s future with limitless opportunities and potential,” said Jung Kee Koo, CEO of Seohan Auto Georgia, in the release.
