Autocar Plant Opens In Center Point

CENTER POINT, AL - The Indiana-based truck maker Autocar opened its Center Point plant Thursday, and expects to employ approximately 750 people when it is fully operational.

The plant, which had been dubbed Project Sunrise by the Business Council of Alabama before it was revealed in September last year, is 1-million-square-foot complex in Jefferson County where it will manufacture its severe-duty ACX cab-over-engine truck model.

Autocar's plant in Birmingham marks the state's fourth major automotive OEM assembly plant and one that will bring a new dimension to Alabama's strong automotive sector, which is already home to Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and numerous suppliers. This was one of the reasons Autocar executives said Birmingham as their choice for the facility.

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According to a report by the Birmingham Business Journal, Autocar has employed 54 local companies to help build its trucks since the announcement.

Autocar, once fully operational, will generate $645.1 million annually in economic impact, which includes a nearly $229 million annual contribution to Alabama's GDP and $130.1 million in earnings to Alabama households from 2,655 direct and indirect jobs, according to an impact study from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce.

For the Birmingham metropolitan area, operations at the company will generate $600 million annually in economic impact, which includes $224 million contributed to the metro's GDP, and $123.9 million in earnings to households from 2,538 direct and indirect jobs.

Photo from Autocar