Hino Motors recently hosted a grand opening ceremony for its new manufacturing facility in Mineral Wells WV.
The celebration was attended by West Virginia Gov Jim Justice, Sens Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, and Rep David McKinley, along with other local government officials, dealers, customers and suppliers. They toured the new facility, which covers nearly 1 million square feet, and participated in a tree planting tradition and a Japanese “Kagami-Wari” ceremony Hino said consummated its commitment to US growth.
“Hino is committed to building its trucks and products in the market it operates in,” said Yoshio Shimo, Hino’s president and CEO. “We have committed $100 million in capital investment into our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, generating 250 new jobs.
“(Now) I am excited to announce an additional commitment of $40M in investment to meet increased demand and product configurations, creating an additional 250 new jobs, totaling 800 team members.”
Hino’s first truck rolled off the assembly line at the new plant in June. The company said it will continue to assemble all Class 6-8 conventional trucks at the plant, including its newly released Class 7 and 8 XL Series.
The new facility can produce 15,000 trucks a year on one shift, the company said, providing the capacity it needs to continue to grow in the US.
“Hino has been a tremendous partner to the state of West Virginia since 2007,” Justice said. “With 800 West Virginians planned to be employed by Hino, they continue to be one of West Virginia’s biggest employers.
“We thank Hino for their continued investment in the great state of West Virginia.”