Friday, August 3, 2012

Huntsville: Engine Capital of The World?

Huntsville has long been know as the 'rocket city' and by some the space capital of the world. But Atushi Niimi, the Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corp. says he hopes to make Huntsville the engine capital of the world. He was quoted in a November 2011 article in Business Alabama magazine.


Toyota will add 4-cylinder production to the 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder production already in use at their North Huntsville manufacturing facility. The plant employees about 1,000 people and provides a significant economic stimulus to the Tennessee Valley. The addition to the Toyota plant also marks a significant investment to the growing auto industry in North Alabama and South Central Tennessee. 


As a right-to-work state, Alabama is an interesting location for industries traditionally burdened by oppressive unions. Alabama also had a robust state economic development effort guided by the ADO (Alabama Development Office) out of Montgomery as well as a unified Madison-Huntsville-Madison County effort to drive economic growth in the area. After many years of fighting between the cities and county, we now have a team all working on the same goals. Instead of fighting with each other over jobs and opportunities, the three groups are working together to promote the entire area. The results have been easy to see.


There's lots of good reasons to pick the greater Huntsville area to locate business. But did anyone forsee that North Alabama would be hub for the automotive industry? I sure didn't. And I'm not suggesting that cars and parts manufacturing will take the place of defense and aerospace here. The most recent BRAC has elevated Redstone Arsenal in importance within the defense arena with the transfer of many important commands, like the Army Materiel Command. 


Having a more diversified economic base is almost always a good thing. Cuts in defense budgets that are looming will mean cuts to jobs. Having other industries to pick up the slack is good. Who would have dreamed that the industry that killed Detroit's future will be the a bright spot in ours?

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