Fairfield Economic Development

Diesel Firm Could Mean 250 Jobs for County

January 15, 2010

"Project X," identified Thursday as MTU Detroit Diesel, could funnel $45 million into the local economy and create 250 jobs in Aiken County, according to the press release.

The announcement came Thursday from the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership, who anticipate that in a few short months the German-based company will officially name Aiken County the home of its new manufacturing facility. MTU Detroit Diesel is a subsidiary of Tognum Group.

Fred Humes, director of the Economic Development Partnership, said the Tognum Group is a very strong company, one that will be a nice addition to existing manufacturing facilities in Aiken such as Kimberly-Clark and Bridgestone Firestone.

The Tognum Group produces propulsion systems and distributed-energy systems based on diesel engines, gas engines, gas turbines and fuel cells for military, marine, rail, agriculture, heavy industrial and power generation applications. With the new operations, MTU Detroit Diesel plans to produce general and special purpose diesel engines for use in marine, rail, land and power plant applications, according to the press release.

"In these times of high statewide and local unemployment, we are very appreciative of MTU's consideration of Aiken County," said Ronnie Young, chairman of Aiken County Council.

For several months, Aiken County officials and Council have worked on offering the company various tax incentives and a real estate contract for the sale of about 50 acres in a local industrial park.

According to the press release, MTU Detroit Diesel has selected the former SKF building in Sage Mill Industrial Park as the potential location of its new manufacturing operations. The company is in a due diligence process on the property, which should be completed within the next two months. If it likes what it sees after the due diligence process, a formal announcement will be made.

"Aiken County Council has worked hard to bring quality jobs to our community and MTU will be an excellent corporate neighbor upon the successful completion of the due diligence phase," Young said. "The SKF building has been vacant for over three years and it would be good to have a prestigious international company bring its operations to Aiken County."

Aiken County Council will meet Tuesday to vote on an agreement between it and MTU Detroit Diesel Inc., which will be ratified once the company formally selects Aiken County for its expansion project.

"The company's consideration of Aiken County for its new operations is another indication that our state continues to be highly competitive within the manufacturing industry. We are confident that MTU will find Aiken County and South Carolina to be an ideal location for their new operations and we look forward to the progression of this project," Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor stated in the press release.

MTU Detroit Diesel Inc. is the North American regional headquarters of MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, the core company of Tognum Group. It supplies diesel engines and complete propulsion systems for ships, heavy agricultural and rail vehicles, industrial drive systems and distributed-energy systems. Tognum's manufacturing sites in the United States are in Detroit and Mankato, Minn.