1. Mass Production of Honda Accord Begins in Alabama
The car that helped put Honda on the map in the United States 30 years ago will get a "Made in Alabama" stamp this week, as the Japanese automaker's assembly plant in Lincoln begins mass production of the popular Accord.
The state-built model will be a V-6 Accord sedan, and its addition to Honda's local lineup marks the Alabama factory's metamorphosis from a site that builds only light trucks to one that can turn out cars, too.
2. Saraland call center plans 600 new jobs
Less than two weeks after the grand opening of a call center in Saraland, Ryla Inc. officials announced plans Thursday to hold job fairs aimed at hiring 600 new employees.
A good impression made by the facility on one of its clients led to the quick decision to expand the workforce since the center's June 30 opening.
3. Norfolk Southern bringing $112M project to McCalla
Officials with Norfolk Southern confirmed that a much-talked-about site in McCalla will be home to its newest $112 million intermodal facility. At a press conference, executives said the railroad will be constructed on 316 acres in the McCalla area, across the Norfolk Southern rail line from the Jefferson Metropolitan industrial park.
4. Mercedes Resumes Five-Day Work Week
Workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance are back on a five-day workweek. Production workers returned to the Vance plant on June 20 after a four-week shutdown that started on May 25.
'Obviously, everyone is glad to be back, and we are extremely pleased to be back to the five-day-a-week production schedule,' said Felyicia Jerald, a Mercedes spokeswoman.
She said the plant is operating one full-time shift on its assembly line and has two full-time shifts at its body shop and paint shop
5. Hyundai Returns to Five-Day Work Week
Dramatic inventory reductions and record export levels mean more than 3,000 workers at Montgomery’s Hyundai plant will work a full schedule this month.
Steady demand for the plant’s products – the Santa Fe SUV and the Sonata sedan – led to lower inventory levels. Lower inventory levels, in turn, led to the decision to return to five-day weeks for at least this month, but a traditional summer holiday week also played a part, according to plant officials.
6. Good News for Troy: Lockheed Awarded $23 Million Contract
The announcement that Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $23 million contract to produce missiles could mean good news for the south Alabama industry.
The contract, which will allow Troy’s local branch to produce 12 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range test missiles, will keep the company’s employees producing the same equipment.
7. Royal Technologies Set To Break Ground in Cullman
Royal Technologies is slated to break ground on its new Cullman plant in early September, bringing as many as 300 jobs to the area. With as many as 300 jobs on the way to Cullman, the Michigan-based company will produce injection molding and urethane foam.
8. Economic Development Mission Brings Opportunity for Firm
An Enterprise technology company signed a $4 million agreement with an Australian University as a result of Governor Bob Riley’s recent economic development mission to the country. NavTech, a wholly owned subsidiary of Navigator Development Group of Enterprise, will establish an Advanced Visualization Center at Wollongong University in New South Wales, Australia.
The Advanced Visualization Center is equipped with labs that play a role in advanced distance learning, knowledge transfer and simulation-based learning. The lab offers three dimensional, holographic and immersive learning capabilities for an interactive learning experience.
Governor Riley’s recent trade mission to Australia included six other Alabama companies seeking to create new business opportunities. In addition, the Governor met with senior leaders of Austal, a company that designs and constructs customized aluminum ships for commercial and defense customers. Austal’s facility in Mobile is the largest aluminum shipyard in the world and employs 1,000. The company plans to add another 1,000 jobs due to expansion.
9. Manroy Chooses Jackson County for New Manufacturing Plant
Manroy USA joined Jackson County's industrial community Thursday with an announcement ceremony at its facility in the Scottsboro Industrial Park.
The company, in partnership with Manroy Engineering Ltd., supplies the global defense industry. It is well-known for manufacturing machine guns, mounts and associated products.
"It's a good day in Scottsboro and Jackson County anytime we can welcome a new industry," Jackson County Economic Development Authority President Dus Rogers said. "It is great news and we are excited about Manroy locating in Scottsboro."
10. Genome Pioneer’s Nomination To Bring Big Boost to Hudson-Alpha
A geneticist who spoke at the opening of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology last year is in line to become the next director of the National Institutes for Health, which will give him control of $29 billion in government research money.
President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Francis Collins for the NIH post Thursday. Collins led the Human Genome Project, in which HudsonAlpha is heavily involved. Dr. Richard Myers, head of HudsonAlpha, said Collins being named to the job "means the conditions are set for the life sciences community, including HudsonAlpha, to experience its own moon landing."