Business Facilities Names South Carolina 2017 State of the Year
Business Facilities magazine has recognized the Palmetto State for its economic development efforts. According to Business Facilities, South Carolina’s manufacturing growth, coupled with its diversification into new sectors landed the state in the top spot.
From Business Facilities: Massive new commitments from auto giants BMW and Volvo were the drivers in a bounty of new projects in South Carolina in 2017, the top five netting 6,400 new jobs for SC. “The Volvo and BMW expansions catapult South Carolina into the top tier of U.S. automotive manufacturing hubs, but the Palmetto State also has been busy laying the foundation for sustainable growth across a diversified portfolio of growth sectors,” said BF Editor in Chief Jack Rogers.
Volvo Cars is investing $520 million in its operations center in Berkeley County, SC, creating 1,910 jobs at a new manufacturing plant that will be the global production site for Volvo’s all-new S60 sedan. The plant is expected to produce the next-generation XC90 in 2021. Volvo also is building an 88,000-square-foot facility at its Berkeley County complex that will serve as a training center and house R&D activities. Volvo’s total investment in its South Carolina production hub, which includes the automaker’s first American manufacturing facility, now exceeds $1 billion.
BMW is investing $600 million to expand its Greer, SC plant, creating 1,000 new jobs over the next four years; the Greer facility straddles the border of Spartanburg and Greenville counties. The 2017 announcement coincided with the German automaker’s 25th anniversary of manufacturing in the Palmetto State, an investment totally more than $8 billion. The 2018 BMW X3, a compact sports vehicle, is being produced in Greer alongside the BMW X4, X5 and X6 models.
