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A Japanese-owned auto supplier in Blythewood is planning a $30 million expansion.
The expansion will not result in more jobs. The announcement comes just days after Richland County learned it would lose hundreds of automotive jobs over the next 18 months as another factory closes.
Koyo Corp. of U.S.A. will spend the money on land, building and equipment, the S.C. Department of Commerce said Wednesday.
The expansion will add two production lines, and the new equipment installation will begin in 2009. The commerce department did not say why the company decided to expand and efforts to reach company officials were unsuccessful.
Koyo employs 220 people in Blythewood, said Kara Borie, a commerce department spokeswoman. Koyo, which makes bearings for the automotive industry, opened the plant in Blythewood in 1995.
The company also employs another 500 at an Orangeburg County plant that opened in 1975.
Koyo announced its expansion two days after another Blythewood automotive supplier decided to move its local operation to Newport News, Va.
Continental will shift production during the next 12 to 18 months, and 440 jobs will be lost. The company is consolidating as it deals with the effects of the struggling auto industry. Company officials said the Virginia site was a better fit for its plans. Virginia also gave $6 million in incentives.
The news was a hard hit to county officials who worked to recruit the company in 2000. And, the announcement came at a particularly bad time as the state
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| 23152RHAK KOYO | 260 | 440 | 144 |
| 23152RK KOYO | 260 | 440 | 144 |