630 rental supplier near Hyundai EV plant in Georgia

An auto parts maker plans to hire 630 workers at a new plant in southeast Georgia to supply Hyundai Motor Group’s first electric vehicle factory in the United States, which is being built nearby. state officials said Monday.

Joon Georgia will invest $317 million to manufacture the parts in Bulloch County, Governor Brian Kemp’s office said in a press release. The supplier will open a store about 30 miles (50 km) west of the southeastern Georgia site, where Hyundai executives broke ground on a new EV plant two weeks ago.

Kemp said the company is “the first of many” that will come to Georgia to supply the $5.5 billion Hyundai plant in Bryan County. The automaker plans to open a plant in Georgia in 2025, producing up to 300,000 units tram each year.

Joon Georgia is a subsidiary of Ajin USA, supplying spare parts for other Hyundai factories. It operated a facility in Cusseta, Alabama, near Georgia Road, which produced parts for Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as for Kia’s auto plant in West Point, Georgia.

Kemp’s office said the Joon Georgia plant near the Hyundai EV plant is expected to open near Statesboro in mid-2024.

“Joon Georgia’s announcement today is an important moment as we drive Georgia’s auto industry going forward, Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said in a statement.

State and local officials in Georgia lured Hyundai with $1.8 billion in tax breaks and incentives, making it the state’s largest economic development deal.

Wilson and other Georgia officials have insisted it is a worthwhile investment. In addition to Hyundai hiring 8,100 workers, suppliers are expected to create thousands more jobs in the state.

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