Kamtek Inc.’s plans for a major expansion in Birmingham will be even larger than the $80 million facility the auto supplier is building in Pinson Valley.
On Tuesday, state officials and the company said Kamtek would invest a total of $530 million in the area in an expansion that will create 354 jobs.
In addition to the $80 million aluminum casting facility we reported about yesterday, the company is also investing $450 million to expand its operations in Birmingham’s Valley East Industrial Park, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.
The Magna International subsidiary, which produces stamped parts for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. and other automakers, will have about 900 total local employees after the expansion project.
Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Kamtek’s expansion is “one of the largest and most significant by an auto supplier in Alabama.”
The project is the latest in a long line of expansions at Alabama’s auto suppliers, which have been expanding as Mercedes, Honda and Hyundai have increased their production in recent years. Metro Birmingham, thanks to its proximity to those three plants and others, has benefited heavily from those supplier expansions.