On his first full day in office, back in 2008, Governor Jay Nixon established the Missouri Automotive Jobs Task Force to make recommendations on strategies to attract automotive investment to the state. Two years later the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act, a package of strategic incentives to attract next-generation automotive manufacturing to the state, became law.
And that strategy has been paying off since then. On April 24,2014 Martinrea Riverside LLC broke ground on its new manufacturing facility in Riverside, Mo. The global auto supplier will operate in a 275,560 square-foot automotive parts manufacturing facility, creating up to 290 new jobs.
“Missouri’s automotive industry is a driving force in our state’s expanding economy, and today we mark another milestone in its continued resurgence,” Gov. Nixon said. “Global companies like Martinrea are continuing to grow and invest in Missouri because of our experienced workforce, low taxes and stable economic climate. With smart, strategic, pro-growth policies, we will continue to build on this strong momentum.”
Martinrea Riverside LLC is a subsidiary of Martinrea International Inc., a Tier One automotive supplier headquartered in Ontario, Canada. The company, which produces steel and aluminum metal parts, assemblies and modules, and fluid management systems focused primarily on the automotive sector, has 38 facilities across eight countries and four continents.
The Riverside facility, the company’s first location in Missouri, will manufacture welded corrosion-resistant engine cradles using its e-coating process, and automotive assemblies for the General Motors plant in Fairfax, Kan.
“We are pleased to open our first facility in Missouri, in order to better serve our customers”, said Rocco Marinaccio, director of Modular Assembly. “We have received a warm reception from everyone, and we look forward to becoming a contributing member of the local community.”
Missouri's automotive manufacturing industry has rebounded with Ford and General Motors having invested a combined $1.5 billion and created thousands of jobs to produce all-new next-generation vehicles at their facilities in Claycomo and Wentzville.
Missouri has also seen strong growth among automotive suppliers with Janesville Acoustics, Yanfeng USA Automotive Trim Systems, SRG Global, Adrian Steel, Toyota Bodine and Grupo Antolin North America all announcing plans to invest and expand in the Show-Me State over the past year.
