Hino to Put Truck Plant in Marion in 2007

[mcheiss]

It finally happened!!!

The Wal-Street Journal announced that Hino will be building a truck manufacturing planet in Marion that will open by 2007 and production of 3,000 to 4,000 medium duty trucks a year.

Hino is already building a 400,000-SF, $160 million auto parts plant in Marion. It is expected to begin production in October 2006 and initially employ about 280.

Hooray, A great Day for Arkansas !!!!

[Rural King]

^ Superb!!!!! What great news for Marion and NEARK! They have been working extremely hard for along time to attract the auto industry and had been having success except for the main prize of an assembly plant, well now they have one!

Any estimation on how many workers it may employ when in full production? Thats what, roughly 90-110 trucks a day, so I wonder how many workers it would take to make that many. Its probably not a huge number, but it will get the ball rolling for perhaps future expansions or plants!

[mcheiss]

^ Superb!!!!! What great news for Marion and NEARK! They have been working extremely hard for along time to attract the auto industry and had been having success except for the main prize of an assembly plant, well now they have one!

Any estimation on how many workers it may employ when in full production? Thats what, roughly 90-110 trucks a day, so I wonder how many workers it would take to make that many. Its probably not a huge number, but it will get the ball rolling for perhaps future expansions or plants!

I haven't heard anything on employement, but this is simply excellent for Marion and the Delta Region.

It will probably be around 300 or 400 when production starts, and then numbers will increase.

[Mith242]

This is great news. I'm hoping it's just a start though of things to come to the Marion area. Hopefully they'll be able to pull in some other big plants in the near future. I think the biggest thing holding them back is the air quality in the region with Memphis also being rather close.

[mcheiss]

This is great news. I'm hoping it's just a start though of things to come to the Marion area. Hopefully they'll be able to pull in some other big plants in the near future. I think the biggest thing holding them back is the air quality in the region with Memphis also being rather close.

That is the biggest thing.

Ever since the EPA classified the West Memphis area as having "above average air pollution", it kind of shrugged away a lot of potential business. Hopefully we can get a much bigger car manufacturer out there.

Is this Truck Plant going on the "Super Site"?

[Mith242]

That is the biggest thing.

Ever since the EPA classified the West Memphis area as having "above average air pollution", it kind of shrugged away a lot of potential business. Hopefully we can get a much bigger car manufacturer out there.

Is this Truck Plant going on the "Super Site"?

I'm not positive on that but I imagine it's going somewhere nearby. I think there will still be room for a 'super site' though.

[mcheiss]

I'm not positive on that but I imagine it's going somewhere nearby. I think there will still be room for a 'super site' though.

I just found out that it won't be on the super site but it will be near it.

[Mith242]

I just found out that it won't be on the super site but it will be near it.

Good, then maybe there's still some hope of something else coming in. I still hear rumors of Toyota possibly building another plant sometime in the near future as they are trying to replace GM as the world's largest auto maker.

[mcheiss]

Good, then maybe there's still some hope of something else coming in. I still hear rumors of Toyota possibly building another plant sometime in the near future as they are trying to replace GM as the world's largest auto maker.

It might be a little while.

Toyota is putting a plant in Toronto and San Antonio for North American Production.

[Mith242]

It might be a little while.

Toyota is putting a plant in Toronto and San Antonio for North American Production.

Yeah I know we lost out to San Antonio, but I still have heard rumors that they could be looking for yet another plant in the near future. But you can't place too much in rumors. Either way I still think they should look for a big plant like the one Toyota would have built.

[mcheiss]

Yeah I know we lost out to San Antonio, but I still have heard rumors that they could be looking for yet another plant in the near future. But you can't place too much in rumors. Either way I still think they should look for a big plant like the one Toyota would have built.

True.

I wonder what other motor companies are looking at expanison into the U.S?

I know Hyundai just finished a plant somewhere in the U.S.

Or if something other than an auto manufacturer could come.

[Rural King]

^Kia and Audi I'm pretty sure are looking at the Southeast currently fairly hard, but perhaps they will look out a bit further west to the Marion, Ark. mega-site and the Crockett County mega-site in WTN. I wouldn't be suprised to see Nissan or Hyundai build another new plant in the US sometime in the forseeable future as well.

I read today in the Memphis Commercial Appeal that the plant will employ around 500 employees to start and that the site would be capable of handling further plant expansion.

[Mith242]

I also see early this morning some news about a grand opening of a Denso plant in Osceola. They just had the official grand opening even though the plant apparently has been open for a while. It will eventually employ around 500 once everything is going. Denso is a Japanese company and the plant makes auto parts.

[Rural King]

^ I tell ya there is a lot of auto industry going in the NEARK from Toyota (and its subsidaries) and other Japanese firms, that bodes well for the Marion Mega-site, and even if an auto-asssembly plant doesn't come due to air quality, if they keep placing 500+ parts plants all over the region the positive impact will be just as nice overtime.

[mcheiss]

Hopefully, we can get something like a steel mill or something along those lines out near Marion.

I think that would be an incentive in itself for a major auto manufacturer to come to Marion.

[Mith242]

Hopefully, we can get something like a steel mill or something along those lines out near Marion.

I think that would be an incentive in itself for a major auto manufacturer to come to Marion.

I could be wrong but I thought Blytheville had a big steel mill. At the time I think it was the biggest of it's kind that used recycled metal. But as I said I'm not positive on that.

[mcheiss]

Here's a some more manufacturing centers being planned for that area:

2 - Distribution Centers costing around $33 Million and employing 500 workers by the Infinity Group. Each distribution center is around 600,000 square feet in West Memphis. Completion date is somewhere around 2006.

1 - $15 Million dollar auto plant to be built in Wynne that will employ 250.

There's also a 1-Million square foot Family Dollar Store Distribution Center and a Skil Corp Distribution center near the area.

[Mith242]

Here's a some more manufacturing centers being planned for that area:

2 - Distribution Centers costing around $33 Million and employing 500 workers by the Infinity Group. Each distribution center is around 600,000 square feet in West Memphis. Completion date is somewhere around 2006.

1 - $15 Million dollar auto plant to be built in Wynne that will employ 250.

There's also a 1-Million square foot Family Dollar Store Distribution Center and a Skil Corp Distribution center near the area.

Sounds like that area has become a hot spot. It's nice to hear all this development going on. Makes you wonder what the area around West Memphis/Marion and Jonesboro will be like in the future.

[mcheiss]

Sounds like that area has become a hot spot. It's nice to hear all this development going on. Makes you wonder what the area around West Memphis/Marion and Jonesboro will be like in the future.

Hopefully they can help turn the delta back around.

I'm sure more manufacturing jobs will move into eastern arkansas, because of cheaper land and it's proximity to Memphis and such.

[Rural King]

@Mith242-There is a steelmill in Blytheville, and you right it's fairly large from what I'm told.

[mcheiss]

I know we lost a bid for a steel mill about a year ago to Columbus, Mississippi.

[Mith242]

@Mith242-There is a steelmill in Blytheville, and you right it's fairly large from what I'm told.

Thanks for confirming. I had heard that but I'm certainly no expert on that area of the state. It's sometimes hard for me to get much news from that area of the state unless you really go out of your way to look for it.

[arkansas_buff]

It's a Nucor Steel plant in Blytheville, which employs around 800.

[mcheiss]

It's a Nucor Steel plant in Blytheville, which employs around 800.

Wow, that's a big steel plant!!!

That is an incentive for auto-manufacturers to build a location in the state.

[Mith242]

Wow, that's a big steel plant!!!

That is an incentive for auto-manufacturers to build a location in the state.

Yes it certainly helps. Makes you wonder why it took us so long to finally bring in a major auto plant here.