Magna International Inc., one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, is investing more than US$790 million in the U.S. to build three new supplier facilities, two of which will be housed at Ford’s BlueOval City campus in Tennessee.
In addition to the two West Tennessee locations, Magna will also build a stamping and assembly facility in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Combined, Magna will create approximately 1,300 new jobs in Tennessee.
Ford’s on-site supplier park will allow for vertical integration that helps ensure efficient production at BlueOval City, which will be capable of producing 500,000 electric trucks a year at full production. Magna will supply Ford’s BlueOval City with battery enclosures, truck frames and seats for the automaker’s second-generation electric truck.
Magna’s two facilities at BlueOval City supplier park include a new 800,000-square-foot frame and battery enclosures facility and a 140,000-square-foot seating facility.
The battery enclosures facility will join one of Magna’s sister plants in Ontario, Canada, which is currently producing battery enclosures for the Ford F-150 Lightning. The seating facility will produce polyurethane foam, and assemble and sequence “just-in-time” (JIT) complete seats.
Magna will employ approximately 750 employees at its battery enclosures facility and 300 employees at its new seating plant.
In addition, Magna will construct a new 400,000-square-foot stamping and assembly plant at the Team Lawrence Commerce Park – West, a Select Tennessee Certified Site in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, that will produce truck frames. Magna will employ roughly 250 employees at this location.
Production at all three plants is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Tennessee has made significant strides in electric vehicle manufacturing with investments from companies like Magna. During Governor Lee’s administration, more than $14.8 billion has been invested in Tennessee and nearly 11,000 new jobs have been committed through EV-related projects.