Continental has committed for a long term investment totaling approximately $1.4 billion and employing 2,500 people when the plant reaches full capacity in the next decade.
The new manufacturing facility will be located at a greenfield site in Hinds County off of Interstate 20, two miles from Clinton and 20 miles from Jackson.
Continental expects to begin physical construction of the plant in 2018. The site is nearly 1,000 acres and is by size and location well-suited for setting up a gradually growing tire plant, according to the company. The production of commercial vehicle tires is planned to start by the end of 2019.
"Building this new facility in Mississippi is a critical part to our growth strategy for Continental Tire, known as Vision 2025," said Nikolai Setzer, member of Continental's executive board and head of Continental's global tire business worldwide. "This is the first new plant, globally, for the truck tire business in more than ten years. We are convinced that the state of Mississippi provides the best options for Continental to grow our tire business."
"The groundbreaking of Continental's new tire manufacturing plant in Central Mississippi marks a significant milestone in the development of the company's newest state-of-the-art facility. I congratulate everyone involved with this monumental project and look forward to the plant's progress," Governor Bryant said.
Not including the planned investment in Mississippi, Continental has invested nearly $2.5 billion in the past decade for manufacturing, technology, facilities and product development to grow its tire business in the Americas.
Mississippi is a right-to-work state. Did that affect Continental’s choice? Check out Does Right-to-Work Help or Hinder Manufacturing?