This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.thedailytimes.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
Article published Mar 29, 2008 Gov. Bredesen among guests expected for DENSO opening
From Staff Reports
Gov. Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber will be among the guests Friday when DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee Inc., celebrates the opening of a $185 million expansion of its electronics division.
The event will include plant tours for invited guests and ceremonies by the governor, DENSO President Mack Hattori and other dignitaries.
The new “Plant 203” is located on 33 acres off Middlesettlements Road. DENSO’s electronics division currently manufactures about 40 different automotive components ranging from keyless entry systems to engine control units.
The new plant, which provides 210,000 square feet of space, is the largest expansion project in DENSO’s 16-year history.
Employees are already occupying the new plant and the company has transferred some of its key production lines from the existing electronics division. The plant will focus entirely on such electronic products as remote keyless entry, auto air conditioning control units, tire pressure monitoring systems and body control modules.
Transfers to the new facility have brought the plant’s total employment to nearly 500 people. Expansion hiring included support roles like engineering, business planning, purchasing, accounting, facilities maintenance, production maintenance and associate relations. Other new hires — primarily in product manufacturing — may be ongoing through 2010 as new production lines are created in both the new plant and its sister electronics plant.
Senior Vice President Jack Helmboldt is heading the new facility, in addition to Body Division Plant 201, where instrument clusters and display units are produced.
Already one of the region’s largest employers, DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee represents an investment of more than $1.1 billion in the Blount County Industrial Park. The company’s campus covers more than 154 acres. The company employs nearly 3,000 people at its Blount County facilities.