Transmission manufacturer to create 545 jobs in Laurens County

ZF, a global supplier of driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology, will create 545 jobs in Laurens County by expanding the company’s transmission manufacturing operations in Gray Court, according to a news release from Gov. Nikki Haley’s office.

With an annual capacity of 1.2 million transmissions, ZF Transmissions Gray Court is the manufacturing site of the 8-speed automatic transmission, as well as the world’s first 9-speed automatic transmission. The company last announced an expansion of this facility in 2013, a $175 million project that brought ZF’s Laurens County employment total to more than 1,600.

To accommodate this latest expansion, the company has purchased a building in the Owings Industrial Park, situated less than two miles from Interstate 385. The 150,000-square-foot facility will house manufacturing and warehousing operations, allowing ZF to increase its current capacity. The $22.5-million expansion is expected to increase the company’s Laurens County workforce to more than 2,000.

Completion of this expansion is anticipated for the first quarter of 2016. To view open positions at ZF Gray Court, visit www.htijobs.com/zf; and for more information on ZF, visit www.zf.com/us.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved a $1.2 million Set Aside grant to Laurens County to assist with the costs of land acquisition. The Council has also approved job development credits related to the project.