Volvo’s footprint in SC just got bigger

One of South Carolina’s biggest manufacturing operations just got bigger.

On Monday, Volvo said it would invest an additional $520 million in its planned Berkeley County plant, creating 1,910 new jobs.

The expansion of the plant, announced in 2015 and yet to open, “not only underscores Volvo’s commitment to the United States but also our commitment to South Carolina,” said Volvo’s North American chief executive Lex Kerssemakers.

Monday’s announcement means 3,900 people in total will work at the car manufacturer, expected to produce its first car next year. Volvo will spend more than $1 billion on the facility.

The plant already was slated to be the global production center of the company’s new S60 sedan. Volvo now plans to add another product line, the next generation of its XC90 SUV, starting in 2021.

An 88,000-square-foot facility will also house Volvo’s Southern regional sales office as well as a training, and research and development center.

The plant currently is under construction near Interstate 26. Volvo eventually expects to make 150,000 vehicles a year at the plant, the company's first in the United States.

“We couldn’t be prouder that such a tremendous company has decided to invest in our people further and create more jobs for hardworking, deserving South Carolinians that we know will produce results,” S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said in making the announcement.

Next month, the S.C. Department of Commerce plans to go before the Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority to request an additional $46 million in incentives for the plan. The money would go for bonds to offset eligible the cost of infrastructure under the Economic Development Bond Act.

This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Volvo’s footprint in SC just got bigger."