November 12, 2007

Unions Try to Organize South's Auto Industry to No Avail

The UAW and the United Steelworkers keep coming up short time after time when trying to organize at automotive facilities in the Southern Automotive Corridor. Another try failed in the summer quarter at Recticel Interiors NA, a supplier to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Ala. Employees at Recticel voted 141 to 40 against the United Steelworker's attempt to organize there, according to information from the Birmingham office of the National Labor Relations Board. For more information on the South's automotive industry, go to www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com.

Sage V Foods is Moving Texas Operations to Little Rock, Ark.

Sage V Foods plans to move production of quick-frozen-rice products from Texas to a 100,000-square-foot, $20 million facility to be built in Little Rock, Ark. This plant will start up with 60 to 100 workers, increasing to 200 in two to three years.

Alabama’s Tourism Department Wins “Best” in South Again

The Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel copped the Southeast Tourism Society’s best tourism department in the South award for the third time in four years.

Birmingham’s Downtown Gains 367 AT&T Jobs

AT&T plans to invest $3.5 million and create 367 jobs in downtown Birmingham for an Internet support operation.

Alabama Fourth in Export Growth
Alabama’s exports totaled $13.8 billion last year, ranking it fourth among the 50 states in the rate of growth of its exported goods, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

West Virginia Gender Pay Gap Lowest in U.S.

Women still earn less than men, yet are the closest to reaching parity in West Virginia. A study done by the American Association of University Women found that even just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what men do. Overall, that gap widens over time. The study also showed that the gap is lower in West Virginia than any other state in the U.S. Women in West Virginia, on average, earn 89 percent of what men do in the state.

New Orleans' Population Loss Shocking

The same Census Bureau data used in the previous chart showed that the city of New Orleans lost 51 percent of its population between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005.                       

CNBC: Four of the Top Five States for Business are in the South

CNBC recently ranked states in the U.S. that are best for business and four from the South made it into the top five. Virginia topped the ranking, followed by Texas, Utah, Georgia and North Carolina.

South Sweeps Work Force Training Top 10 Ranking

In the summer quarter, Expansion Management magazine published its annual ranking of the top state work force training programs in the U.S. and the magazine's Top 10 was made up of Southern states exclusively. Georgia was ranking No. 1 in work force training topping Alabama, which was ranked first last year. The rest of the top 10 included Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and Texas. 

Production Starts at Sekisui’s New Kentucky Facility

Sekisui S-Lec America’s said its $43 million plant in Winchester, Ky., started production in October, creating 80 jobs. The facility will produce interlayer film used in fabricating automobile safety glass. The company is a subsidiary of giant Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. of Japan.

Ceiling Fan Maker Creating 51 jobs at Kentucky Plant

Delta T Corp., which makes commercial and industrial fans, plans to invest $17.3 million in a larger facility in Lexington, Ky. The firm expects to add 51 employees to its current labor force of 110.

BAE Systems Division Will Add 42 Jobs at N.C. Plant

BAE Systems Tensylon High Performance Materials Inc., plans to invest $7.9 million and add 42 jobs to expand its Monroe, N.C., armor-materials facility over the next three years.

Korean Tractor Maker Picks North Carolina for Assembly Plant

TYM-USA, a unit of South Korean tractor manufacturer Tong Yang Moolsan, will invest $1.1 million to build an assembly facility near Black Creek, N.C., creating 31 jobs. The company expects production to begin early next year.

Reuel Expanding Goldsboro, N.C., Facility, Adding 50 Workers

Reuel Inc., will invest $2 million to expand operations in Goldsboro, N.C., creating 50 jobs over the next three years. The company makes insulating components for medium-voltage electrical equipment.

Plastic Parts Maker is Expanding North Carolina Facility

Carolina Technical Plastics Corp. is investing $5 million to expand its New Bern, N.C., plant, which will increase its workforce by 50 employees to 120. A unit of Germany-based Wirthwein AG, the company is a leading supplier of injection molded plastic parts.

Cessna Starts $24 Million Expansion in Georgia

Cessna Aircraft, a Textron unit, started construction on a third building at its Columbus, Ga., parts factory, as one phase of a $24 million expansion, which in the next five years will add up to 150 more employees to the current workforce of 600.

ConocoPhillips, Peabody Picks Kentucky for $3 Billion Synfuel Plant                       

ConocoPhillips and Peabody Energy Corp. announced in October they have chosen Kentucky for their joint $3 billion synthetic natural gas facility. A specific site will be chosen after a feasibility study is completed next year. The plant is projected to produce 50 billion to 70 billion cubic feet of synthetic natural gas annually, using some 3.5 million tons of coal. The deal is expected to create 450 jobs.

Halton Will Add 60 Jobs at its Kentucky Factory

Ventilation system maker Halton Co. plans to spend $2.2 million for a 30,000-square-foot addition to its Scottsville, Ky., plant, creating 60 jobs.

Florida Tile Opens $15 Million Porcelain Plant in Kentucky                                                          

Florida Tile’s new $15 factory in Lawrenceburg, Ky., recently started producing porcelain tile, taking over production, which had been located at the company’s Shannon, Ga., facility before Panariargoup, of Italy, acquired Florida Tile last year. The company expects to add more than 60 employees in the next few years.

Medical Device Parts Maker Will Add 154 Workers in N.C.  

West Pharmaceutical Services, a global producer of medical device components, plans to invest $18.7 million to expand operations in Kinston, N.C., creating 154 jobs.

Munitions Maker DSE to Create 215 Jobs at New S.C. Plant

DSE, Inc., which supplies ammunition to the U.S. military, will open a 320,000 machining and assembly facility in Gaffney, S.C., creating up to 215 jobs within five years.

Germany’s Bericap Picks South Carolina for $20 Million Factory

Bericap, an international producer of plastic closures, is building a $20 million plant near Spartanburg, S.C. The facility is expected to start round-the-clock production next year with 45 employees.

Michigan Damper-Maker Moving to N.C.

Effikal will invest $1.1 million to move operations from Orion, Mich., to its sister company Field Controls’ facility in Kinston, N.C., creating 35 jobs in the next three years. Effikal makes dampers for heating and air conditioning equipment.

Sprint Nextel Adding Jobs at Oklahoma Call Center

Sprint Nextel said it will hire 150 additional employees by January at its Oklahoma City customer call center, increasing the workforce to 850.

Trane Plans Expansion of Memphis Parts Center
Heating and air-conditioning maker Trane Systems plans to spend $3.3 million to consolidate and expand its Memphis parts distribution center, creating about 185 jobs. The American Standard unit’s plans are outlined in its application to the Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board.

Tank Manufacturer Picks Gainesville,Tex., for Factory

Allied Production Solutions is building a steel and fiberglass tank manufacturing plant in Gainesville, Texas, creating 200 jobs when it is completed in mid-2008.

CertainTeed’s W. Va. Wallboard Factory Gets Ready to Startup

The CertainTeed Corp.’s $150 million gypsum wallboard plant in Moundsville, Va., is set to begin production early next year with 70 employees. The plant will utilize gypsum that’s a by-product of the nearby American Electric Power coal-fired generating plant’s sulfur-removal system. Owned by French-based Saint-Gobain, CertainTeed operates 13 other gypsum board plants in North America.

New W. Va. Coal Mine to Create Up to 180 Jobs

International Coal Group has started production at its new Beckley Pocahontas Mine in Eccles, W.Va. Next year, when it hits full production, the mine will have as many as 180 employees and produce 1.4 million tons of coal a year.

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