San Antonio’s getting a commercial truck manufacturing plant, 600 new jobs

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A leading maker of commercial trucks and buses plans to build a manufacturing plant in San Antonio’s South Side, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.

Navistar has announced plans for a $250 million dollar manufacturing facility on property south of Loop 410 near Highway 281.

“I’m excited to share that Navistar will add 600 jobs to San Antonio, further demonstrating how companies will continue to realize the opportunity and the assets that we have in San Antonio,” said Viagran.  “Where it’s situated on 281, it’s between Loop 410 and  1604, and it’s close to a railways line, as well.”

The new manufacturing plant will have the flexibility to build Class 6-8 vehicles, complementing Navistar’s existing assembly manufacturing footprint, which includes truck assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico.

“Over the last five years, Navistar has made significant investments to improve our position in the market,” said Troy Clarke, Navistar chairman, president and chief executive officer. “This investment will create a benchmark assembly facility to improve quality, lower costs and provide capacity to support anticipated industry growth, as well as market share gains.”

The investment is contingent on finalization of various incentive packages from the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, CPS Energy, San Antonio Water System, and the State of  Texas , but Navistar says  if all goes as planned, construction will begin later this year, with production starting sometime in 2021.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff says commissioners will consider the county’s incentives package Oct. first, which includes “a ten-year, 100 percent tax abatement on real and personal property, a $250,000 skills grant for creating 250 new jobs paying at least $50,000 a year, a public infrastructure grant of up to $5 million for all site improvements, and a county economic development agreement up to $680,000, Wolff said.

The Navistar announcement comes just days after Toyota revealed it’s injecting $391 million into its Tundra and Tacoma truck manufacturing facility in the South Side,   and Aisin AW officially confirmed plans for a $400 million plant in Cibolo, which will hire 900 workers.

“This week has been one hell of a week,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “In San Antonio, it’s been a billion-dollar week. Let’s have more of these.”

He said the Navistar jobs are expected to pay annual average wages of about $50,000.

“This investment by Navistar is paramount to Texas’ success in growing our diverse and highly skilled manufacturing workforce,” said Governor Abbott. “The Lone Star State is the new frontier in innovation and I am confident that this partnership will usher in even greater economic prosperity for our state.”

 

 

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SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – The fourth largest truck maker is coming to San Antonio.

The Express News reports Navistar international Corporation plans to build a plant near Mitchell Lake in the South Side.

Details are expected to be announced today , but the article says the company , which manufactures commercial trucks, buses and military vehicles, will bring as many as 500 jobs to San Antonio.

The news comes just days after Toyota announced it’s injecting 391 million dollars into the local Tundra and Tacoma manufacturing plant.

Like Toyota, the Navistar plant will need suppliers in the area, creating even more jobs.