Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman congratulated Central Motor Wheel of America (CMWA) on the grand opening of its new PROACE plant, an expansion of the company’s existing operations in Bourbon County, bringing 145 new jobs.
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The new 275,000 square foot PROACE plant began production this month and will produce aluminum wheels for passenger cars and light trucks. The new plant represents a 40 acre expansion of CMWA’s existing campus in Paris, increasing aluminum wheel production capacity by 50%. The new jobs will bring CMWA’s Kentucky workforce to more than 700.
Founded as Central Manufacturing Co. in 1986, CMWA is a joint venture between Central Wheel Co. Ltd. and Toyota Tsusho Corp. The company began producing steel wheels in 1988 and manufactured its first aluminum wheels in 1990.
Adopting its current name in 2007, the company produces aluminum wheels for Toyota and steel wheels for Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Subaru. Prior to this expansion, the Paris plant can produce up to 2 million aluminum wheels annually and 6 million steel wheels.
In addition to its Kentucky operations, Central Motor and Wheel Co. Ltd. operates 10 facilities in Japan, Mexico, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Kentucky’s automotive industry includes more than 550 facilities employing over 103,000 state residents full time. Those facilities include the world’s largest Toyota assembly plant, the world’s only Corvette manufacturing facility and two Ford Motor Co. assembly plants.
This year, the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books for yearly investment totals. Year to date, private sector new location and expansion announcements include over $10 billion in total planned investment and the creation of 15,000 full time jobs across the coming years.
Through September, Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage is $24.15 before benefits, a 10% increase over the previous year. ■
Under an intense surge of arctic air, Friday morning will begin with the coldest temperatures so far this season across much of the central and eastern U.S. with blustery conditions and a piercing wind chill.