Denmark Hyundai supplier to open $13M Montgomery plant

As the outer bands of Hurricane Sally lashed the building, the people inside removed facemasks to speak, each revealing a smile. “It’s a beautiful day,” said Russ Tyner, who was representing the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Denmark-based auto supplier Mountain Top Industries was announcing its first North American plant, which will open at 655 Industrial Park Boulevard in Montgomery next year. The 73,000-square-foot facility will make aluminum roll covers for pickups, including the new Hyundai Santa Cruz that’s being built here.

It’s a $13 million investment that will create at least 90 jobs that start at a minimum of $18 an hour, though Mountain Top Plant Manager Tab Bruce said that employment level is “just our beginning.” Bruce said the bed covers produced at the plant will be very high quality, and they expect to find “other opportunities” in the hot US truck market that will lead to increased production here.

“It’s nothing I can talk about yet, but this company has a very bright future in the United States,” Bruce said after the Wednesday announcement.

The state offered the company tax incentives worth just over $2 million, and the city and county offered tax breaks worth just under $150,000. The plant would have to create and maintain at least 90 jobs to access those incentives.

Annual payroll will be at least $3.39 million.

Hyundai announced in November that it would build the Santa Cruz pickup here. That $410 million Hyundai plant expansion had already started before the pandemic, creating 200 new jobs at the plant. It was expected to bring in about 1,000 new supplier and logistics jobs statewide.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed recalled meeting with Mountain Top’s top executives before the decision and discussing “what it would mean not just to choose Montgomery, but to operate in Montgomery.” He said the city wants the deal to be about relationships, not transactions, and he pledged to do whatever possible at the government level to help the company grow.

Meanwhile, he said local officials will work to keep similar announcements coming.

“We know that things are slow right now across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand some of those challenges,” Reed said. “But we’re going to continue to work hard here in the River Region.”

Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean said the county will always be there to help Mountain Top “through rain, sleet, or snow.”

“It’s raining today, and you see where we are,” Dean said.

You can see more about the company at www.mountaintop.dk.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Denmark Hyundai supplier to open $13M Montgomery plant

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