A maker of automotive electronics will set up its first U.S. factory in northern Georgia, state officials announced.
Duckyang plans to invest $10 million in the new facility in Braselton, about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta. The company expects to create 285 new jobs at the site.
The plant will provide battery parts to SK Innovation, a fellow Korean company that will supply electric vehicle batteries to Ford and Volkswagen. SK is building a battery plant in nearby Commerce, Georgia.
Duckyang currently supplies cockpit modules — integrated components located near the driver’s seat — to Hyundai, its affiliated brands Kia and Genesis, and its parts subsidiary Mobis, as well as to Renault Samsung Motors. Company officials said its initial U.S. facility would provide new opportunities to work with automakers in North America, including Kia and Hyundai, which operate assembly plants in Georgia and Alabama, respectively.
“It is expected that we will have business expansion opportunities to supply not only electric vehicle parts but also interior parts, including the cockpit module, door trim panel module, and other flagship parts to global automakers based in the United States,” Duckyang CEO Dong-in Son said in the announcement.
The Associated Press reported that the company could save up to $1.8 million per year in state income tax credits. Georgia will provide job training but no additional discretionary incentives, according to the report; local governments could provide property tax breaks.
