Dive Brief:
- Hyundai Translead plans to invest $450 million to establish two advanced manufacturing facilities in Will County, Illinois, roughly an hour outside of Chicago, according to a March 16 press release.
- The expansion is expected to create at least 2,475 full-time jobs and increase the trailer manufacturer’s annual production capacity.
- The new facilities will also strengthen logistics operations and support faster product delivery, while enabling greater diversification across Hyundai Translead’s product lines to meet evolving market needs, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Hyundai Translead’s expansion into Illinois represents a major investment that has been three years in the making, according to a video shared along with the press release. The project not only expands production capabilities but also reveals a long-term strategy to modernize and regionalize manufacturing operations in response to evolving supply chain demands.
In Joliet, Illinois, the company — a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. — is redeveloping previously shuttered plants.
One of the properties is a 1.3 million-square-foot manufacturing facility formerly operated by Caterpillar, which produced hydraulic equipment on Channahon Road before closing in 2019. The second is a 900,000-square-foot plant once used by electric school bus maker Lion Electric. That site was vacated after the company filed for bankruptcy, and a group of Canadian investors and entrepreneurs has since acquired the business, now known as LION.
Illinois state and regional leaders say Hyundai Translead’s investment will help catalyze the Will County economy.
“Illinois offers fundamental advantages — like unrivaled connectivity and a skilled workforce — that have long made it a center for American manufacturing,” said Christy George, president and CEO of the Illinois Economic Development Corp., in a release. “Hyundai Translead is building on that legacy with a transformative project that will create thousands of good-paying jobs and opportunities.”
In addition to its new presence in Illinois, Hyundai Translead has three manufacturing facilities in Tijuana, Mexico.
