Battery plant brings new jobs to Northwest Ohio
By Terry Troy
An industry leading Tier-1 automotive supplier plans to build a new electric vehicle battery assembly plant in Northwest Ohio.
Mobis North America, a Tier-1 automotive supplier, is investing $13.8 million to locate a new manufacturing plant in Toledo that will assemble battery systems for electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Mobis expects that the plant will create 185 manufacturing jobs.
Construction is already underway on the new plant, with production planned to start in August 2024.
The investment in the new state-of-the-art facility expands Mobis’ electrification capabilities and bolsters the company’s sustainability and environmentalism efforts.
With another plant in Toledo and two other facilities in Metro Detroit, Michigan, Mobis North America has around 1,000 employees. According to the company, the resilient and dedicated work culture of Northwest Ohio was a key consideration in locating the new battery systems plant in Toledo.
“We’ve been manufacturing in Toledo, Ohio for nearly 20 years, and we are excited to continue to invest in the community with this new battery plant,” says Dong Hee (Danny) Son, general manager. “The state-of-the-art facility will bring 185 good-paying, upskilled jobs to the area, and be a driving force in automotive electrification here in the Midwest.”
For Mobis, this facility helps solidify its position as an industry leader in automotive electrification and demonstrates the company’s commitment and investment in Northwest Ohio. At the same time, the company also recognized the contributions and support from the economic development organizations, including JobsOhio, the Regional Growth Partnership, the Department of Planning and Development of Lucas County and the city of Toledo.
“This project’s success depended in a large part on the huge support from JobsOhio, the RGP, Lucas County and the city of Toledo, and working together, we expect long-term positive impact for both the company and the local community,” says Josh Wingate, plant manager.
“This infusion of $13.8 million and 185 new jobs is a major investment in North Toledo and will be a gamechanger—investing in the future of our city and our people. I am proud to see companies come in and recognize the value of our communities, and bring these jobs to the Great Lakes Heartland where the skills exist, the supply chain exists and where the automotive heart of our nation strongly beats,” says U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District. “These jobs are an investment in the green economy, an investment in North Toledo and an investment in the people of Northwest Ohio.”
Mobis will locate its operations in the newly constructed 285,000-square-foot spec building at the Toledo Trade Center Industrial Park, the former site of the North Towne Square Mall. NorthPoint Development serves as developer and property owner of the site. The site was the recipient of an Ohio Site Inventory Program grant through JobsOhio, which was designed to support speculative site and building development. Rudolph Libbe Group is the construction services provider.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our city’s relentless pursuit to revitalize the long-abandoned North Towne Square Mall site, left desolate for more than 17 years, now transformed into a dynamic industrial park,” says Wade Kapszukiewicz, mayor of Toledo.