Newman Technology Opens Alabama Manufacturing Plant

On August 2, 2013, Newman Technology, Inc. opened the doors to its brand new Alabama facility. The company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sankei Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd. of Japan, celebrates this grand opening a little over a year after it broke ground on the $15 million manufacturing plant. The construction began in April 2012 and was completed and ready for mass production in January 2013, just 9 months later.

Newman Technology of Alabama, Inc. (NTAL) is located in Albertville and, at this point, employs over 100 team members including associates from Alabama, Japan, Ohio and South Carolina. NTAL plans to expand its team once more production lines are added later this year. While Newman Technology already has plants in Mansfield, Ohio and Aiken, S.C., the 120,000 s.f. Alabama facility will help it maintain the reputation as a leading supplier of fabricated and value-added assemblies to the automotive and recreational vehicle markets. NTAL specifically makes door sashes, exhaust components and window trim products for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) in Lincoln, Ala.

Akihiro Hasegawa, President of Sankei Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd., and Kozumi Yoneyama, President of NTAL, said the new plant would allow them to introduce 400 ton and 1200 ton press capabilities in order to localize production of stamped components necessary to maintain their competitive advantage. With the initial phase of the plant operations now complete in Alabama, they plan to focus on the Phase II plant expansion, which is expected to begin later this year and be operational in 2015.

Governor Robert Bentley, along with other state and local officials, was in attendance for the ribbon cutting and grand opening.

WHNT News 19 provided coverage of the event as seen in the below video:

Gray, ranked 9th among the top auto plant contractors, provided design-build services for the new facility. Gray has been building in Alabama for close to 20 years for customers including Austal USA; Hyundai Motor Manufacturing; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Kronospan LLC and Mobis Alabama, LLC. Currently, Gray has several large projects that are underway or recently completed including: a Michelin Earthmover tire manufacturing plant in Starr, S.C.; a Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem, N.C.; a Caterpillar Inc. manufacturing facility near Athens, Ga.; a Siemens gas turbine plant in Charlotte, N.C.; a Whirlpool plant in Cleveland, Tenn.; and multiple projects for Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

If you have automotive plant construction needs, please contact Brian Woods, Manager, Business Development, at bwoods@gray.com.