Navistar broke ground on new and expanded manufacturing facilities at Jetplex Industrial Park in Huntsville, Ala. The company announced in July that it would make a capital investment of approximately $125 million and that the investment would bring 145 additional jobs to the company's Huntsville facility.
"Over the past two decades, the city of Huntsville has been a valuable partner and we are eager to expand our presence here," said Persio Lisboa, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Navistar. "The local skilled workforce has proudly supported the implementation of our product strategy, and we look forward to incorporating some of the most advanced manufacturing standards into our Navistar Diesel of Alabama facility to continue to bring best-in-class products to the market."
Navistar, which already manufactures International brand diesel engines at its plant in Huntsville, intends to utilize the additional 110,000 square feet of new manufacturing space to produce next-generation big-bore powertrains developed with its global alliance partner TRATON. This additional space is slated to be completed in the first half of 2023.
"For more than two decades Navistar has trusted the Huntsville workforce with its big bore engines, and we're pleased to remain a key component in the organization's growth," said Tommy Battle, mayor of Huntsville, Alabama. "Our skilled manufacturing workforce is ready to take on the production of Navistar's global powertrain, adding capacity to Huntsville's reputation as the "propulsion capital" of the world. Whether it's across the country or across the universe, Huntsville gets you there."
The principal engine currently built at Navistar's Huntsville plant is the International A26, a 12.4 liter big-bore engine that is offered in Class 8 on-highway trucks such as the International LT Series and RH Series, as well as in vocational trucks such as the International HV Series and HX Series. There is currently 300,000 square feet of manufacturing space dedicated to the assembly of the International A26 engine.
"Jetplex Industrial Park at Huntsville International Airport is proud to be home to Navistar," said Rick Tucker, CEO of the Port of Huntsville. "Having been a corporate partner of theirs for over two decades, it means a lot to us that they would desire to continue to grow both the facility and their relationship with us. I'm certain that we will all work together to continue to propel Alabama forward."
