| A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 10 in Bowling Green, Kentucky (USA) to mark the start of construction of an aluminum forging plant for Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products LLC. The plant will eventually employ 78 people. Total investments in the project are anticipated to reach $32.7 million. Plans call for production to begin in June 2005. Kobe Aluminum is 60% owned by Kobe Steel, Ltd., 25% by Mitsui and Co., Ltd., and 15% by Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Attending the groundbreaking ceremony were Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, Bowling Green Mayor Sandy Jones, and other officials. From Japan were executives of Kobe Steel, Mitsui and Toyota Tsusho. Kobe Aluminum will contribute to meeting the growing market for automotive aluminum forgings in North America. Used in suspension systems, the forgings will be marketed to U.S. automakers and Japanese transplants. Click to see the previous announcement: |
