Truck and bus manufacturer Navistar plans to add 145 new jobs to its operations in northern Alabama, company officials announced Monday.
The $125 million expansion project in Huntsville will enable the production of the next-generation, big-bore powertrains developed under Navistar’s partnership with Volkswagen commercial truck subsidiary Traton. Officials also told AL.com that a gearbox assembly line would also be relocated to Alabama as part of the expansion.
The suburban Chicago company, according to the report, currently employs 126 workers in Huntsville producing diesel engines under its International brand. The expansion would bring the workforce to 271, just shy of the staff employed at the Huntsville Navistar facility shuttered in 2014.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to expand our presence in Alabama while adding to our array of next-generation products,” Executive Vice President and COO Persio Lisboa said in a statement.
Navistar is slated to receive a $910,000 incentive package from the city, as well as a property tax abatement from the county’s airport authority. The project is expected to generate $1.6 million in new property taxes each year and $12.5 million in annual payroll, officials said.
