New jobs may help drive economic success in Graniteville

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. - The engines that will be made here might just drive this community back to what it used to be.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett: "This is what it's all about, ladies and gentlemen, it's putting South Carolina back to work, and it's changing this nation, one state at a time."

Friday morning, MTU Detroit Diesel made it official...They are coming to Graniteville.

Matthias Vogel, President and CEO, MTU Detroit Diesel: "Here, we want to lay our future. Here, we want to produce our engines for our customers in North America."

The Graniteville site was one of half a dozen considered. The convenience of I-20 and closeness of the Charleston Harbor were big factors in the decision to end up at the former SKF plant, in the Sage Mill Industrial Park.

Vogel: "And we see a very highly talented workforce here in South Carolina, due to the fact that other companies came down here and opened facilities."

The workforce will build giant engines that will be for everything from government ships and tanks...to construction vehicles and yachts.

Jobs in Detroit will be lost, as this assembly plant will replace the one there. But as leaders told their new neighbors in Graniteville Friday, they have a new workforce here...and they're ready to get to work.

Governor Mark Sanford, South Carolina: "When I see these big engines and I think about locomotives, for me, I think about what happened just down the road five years ago. I think that the MTU investment is a reminder of how spring can follow winter, and I thank you for the investment that's going to make a difference in people's lives."

Hiring begins in May for the company, which promises to be up-and-running by October of this year.

For more information on how to apply, e-mail MTUAiken@mtu-online.com