Interstate 75: North America's Industrial Corridor (cover) Florida Georgia from Chattanooga to Knoxville Kentucky Ohio Detroit Request Information |
I-75's Auto Cluster
"Within the last few years, we've had a couple of automotive-related announcements," says William M. Lear Jr., chairman of Lexington United. "One plant that has come online is the Webasto Sunroofs plant, and there's another plant that is under construction for Kito Manufacturing." Webasto began production in June 1998 at its 95,000-sq.-ft. (8,826-sq.-m.) facility.
Lear says the area is targeting research and development operations related to the automotive industry as well. Part of the reasoning behind this, he adds, is the fact that Fayette County is in very close proximity to Georgetown, Scott County, where Toyota Motors Manufacturing is located. Also, the University of Kentucky is located in Lexington, which can provide opportunities for auto-related R&D operations, especially under Gov. Patton's new Research Challenge Trust Fund, a new initiative to establish Kentucky universities as nationally recognized research institutions.
"We've also begun to see some Internet startup companies," says Lear. "The most notable one is called Ecampus.com, which is a spin-off of a major book company that is headquartered here in Lexington, and if everything goes as expected, this will be the first Internet company to be headquartered here."
In other news, Lexington has had success in marrying the e-commerce world with its distribution capabilities. Amazon.com, for example, chose Lexington for one of two Kentucky distribution facilities announced last year -- the other being located in nearby Campbellsville. The Lexington facility will total 600,000 sq. ft. (55,742-sq.-m.) and will employ up to 500 workers.
I-75 leaves Lexington and cuts through northern Kentucky before heading into Ohio. Northern Kentucky is seeing much the same kind of activity along the corridor as Lexington.
Many Japanese-based automotive-related industries are taking advantage of what they call the Kan Bahn, or "just in time," Highway (their nickname for I-75). The biggest auto news of late in the area came from Toyota, when it announced an expansion at its headquarters operations. Toyota is investing some $15 million and creating 70 new jobs in Northern Kentucky.
Auto suppliers such as Zotefoams are also taking advantage of the opportunities a Northern Kentucky location offers. Zotefoams, a British producer of polyolefin foams used in several industries including automotive, is building its first North American manufacturing facility in Walton, Ky. The $50 million, 140,000-sq.-ft. (13,006-sq.-m.) plant will employ 50 to 60 workers.
The biggest news in Northern Kentucky last year, however, was not in automotive. In fact, it was in gypsum wallboard manufacturing. Lafarge Gypsum broke ground last July on its $100 million, 500,000-sq.-ft. (46,452-sq.-m.) gypsum wallboard manufacturing plant in Silver Grove, Ky. The plant will create more than 100 jobs.
The Lafarge decision, as well as Zotefoams and Toyota, can be in large part attributed to good access to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. "Zotefoams and Lafarge have a lot of individuals that travel from Paris and Britain, and the presence of our airport with nonstop service to five European capitals has played a big role in international locations in the community," says Danny Fore, president of the Tri-City Economic Development Corp. "And the same can be said for the expansion by Toyota Manufacturing."
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From Tennessee, I-75 heads into Kentucky, and straight to the heart of the automotive portion of the corridor. The first major pit stop along the route is in Lexington, where the north-south corridor intersects with the rapidly growing I-64 auto alley. This location at the crossroads of two automotive corridors is sure to make Lexington a cornerstone of the automotive world.
The high-tech industries have already begun to take advantage of the university's research capabilities. LexMark International, a manufacturer of laser and inkjet printer technology, is investing $70 million to expand its existing operations in Lexington. The project will create 700 jobs, primarily in the engineering disciplines.