Harrodsburg plant adding 60 jobs
to produce lithium-ion battery packs

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas Inc. has selected its Mercer County plant as the site of its North American lithium-ion battery packs production. The new manufacturing capability will create 60 new jobs and represents a new investment of about $12 million.

Hitachi, which has existing locations in Harrodsburg and Berea, just completed construction of its new 153,000-square-foot factory on the existing 85-acre Harrodsburg site. The expansion project, which was announced in 2010, is creating 145 new jobs in Harrodsburg and entails an investment of $68 million. The plant produces sophisticated automotive electronics. With this latest expansion, the plant will also produce the battery control electronics, which will be installed as part of the battery pack assembly. 

“Hitachi is one of the few automotive suppliers with the capability to develop and produce our own lithium-ion batteries, electric drive motors and the electronic controls needed to manage electric powered automobiles,” said Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas President Mark Fujisawa. “The North American production of these hybrid electric vehicle batteries complements our North American production of hybrid vehicle motors, which we announced last month. We are excited to further expand our United States production operations with the manufacturing of these batteries produced in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

With the support of state and local incentives, Hitachi also announced this past August the establishment of its third Kentucky manufacturing facility in Berea, where it will soon start production of motors that will power advanced electric powered automobiles. The Berea plant will create 130 new jobs and result in a $74.5 million investment.
Lithium-ion battery packs production at the Harrodsburg plant is expected to begin in 2012, with the first product shipment going out in 2013. Hitachi’s future plans also include the production of electric inverters for hybrid electric vehicles, which will be manufactured in its Kentucky plants.

“Hitachi is an important part of Mercer County, and we are grateful they continue to invest in our community,” said Mercer County Judge-Executive Milward Dedman.

“Any community would be fortunate to have Hitachi as one of their corporate citizens,” said Harrodsburg Mayor Eddie Long.  “We appreciate their faith in Harrodsburg.”

For more information on Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, visit www.hitachi-automotive.us.

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From www.ky.gov.