A Tier 1 automotive supplier has chosen to locate a new manufacturing facility in Gadsden, and officials ranging from Mayor Sherman Guyton to Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement Tuesday.
Motus Integrated Technologies will invest $16,225,000 in a new facility expected to bring more than 90 new jobs to the area.
“This is a great day for Gadsden and Etowah County, and we are proud to be able to recruit high-paying jobs and welcome a company like Motus to our area,” Guyton said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
He said the ongoing investment in infrastructure, education and quality of life helped the city land the company.
“Motus is a premier global automotive supplier, and we are thrilled that they have selected the State of Alabama and Gadsden as the site for their new facility,” Ivey said in a press release. “This is yet another example of how Alabama continues to lead the way in growing manufacturing here at home.”
Motus manufactures headliners, automotive interior door and console armrests and other products through forming, injection molding and assembly operations.
In addition to locations in Germany, China, Mexico and Japan, the company has three locations in the United States: two in Michigan and one in Cottondale in Tuscaloosa County.
“We’re glad to be part of the community,” said Brent Turner, engineering manager for Motus.
The Gadsden site is expected to supply multiple auto manufacturers in the state, and the new 75,000-square-foot facility will be located on 12.86 acres off Airport Industrial Road between Interstate 59 and Rainbow City.
Pay for the new jobs will range between $40,000 and $71,374 per year plus fringe benefits, with an average wage of around $20 per hour.
“This is going to be bigger than most things that have happened here in a long time,” Guyton said.
The announcement was made in front of a packed house at the City Council meeting as officials from Motus, the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority, the Etowah County Mayors’ Association, local and state representatives and more attended.
The council approved a 10-year abatement of all state and local non-educational property taxes and all construction-related transaction taxes, except for those that benefit education, capital improvements for education, and all mortgage and recording taxes.
That amounts to an abatement of $77,880 per year for those 10 years, and the construction abatement is estimated at $583,125.
Construction on the new facility is planned to start in the coming weeks, and completion of the project is expected in mid-2020.