Alabama Workers Join Hyundai Team: HMMA and Suppliers Expected to Bring 6,000 Jobs to Alabama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kerry Christopher
Manager of Public Relations
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC
(334) 387-8010

ALABAMA WORKERS JOIN HYUNDAI TEAM:
HMMA AND SUPPLIERS EXPECTED TO BRING 6,000 JOBS TO ALABAMA

MONTGOMERY, AL, January 12, 2004 – Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) hit the ground running and the company now has 79 new Production and Maintenance Team Members from Alabama to help keep it on schedule. With the addition of the Production and Maintenance Team Members, HMMA’s number of workers in Montgomery exceeds 300. By the end of the year, we will have 1,000 Team Members.

At full capacity, the billion dollar plant will produce 300,000 vehicles per year, including the next-generation Sonata mid-sized sedan and the Santa Fe SUV. HMMA expects to employ over 2,000 Team Members. When combined with the 23 Tier One suppliers locating in Alabama, over 6,000 direct jobs in Alabama will result from the Hyundai plant.

EMPLOYMENT
In December, Hyundai announced the wages for the Production and Maintenance workers, which are some of the highest in the area. Production Team Members will earn $14 per hour now and progress to $21 per hour after 24 months on the job. Maintenance Team Members will start at $18.50 per hour and progress to $24 per hour after two years.

These Team Members are among the 11,000 Alabamians who applied for the jobs through Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT). Applications were received from every county in Alabama and the 1,600 Production and Maintenance positions are being filled exclusively by Alabama residents.

ALABAMA SUPPLIERS
Twenty-three Hyundai suppliers will be calling Alabama home. So far, HMMA suppliers are locating in 15 Alabama counties. These suppliers are expected to create more than 4,000 new jobs. Hiring for these positions will be coordinated through AIDT in the coming weeks.

Hyundai’s Alabama suppliers are expected to invest $474.7 million in capital investments. When combined with the investment of HMMA, the amount exceeds $1.5 billion. The 23 suppliers are significantly higher than the initial projections of 12 to 15 to locate in the state.

CONSTRUCTION
HMMA plant construction is approximately 75 percent complete. All construction is on schedule and will be finished by June of 2004. RUST Constructors is the construction manager for the project. Of the construction contractors hired by RUST, 29 of the 40 construction firms (73 percent) are from Alabama.

HMMA requires all contractors to use Alabama suppliers and workers to the maximum extent possible. More than 500 construction jobs are still to be assigned on the HMMA project.

TRAINING
In 2003, 496 Alabama residents completed training for HMMA through AIDT. In 2004, 960 additional Alabamians will be trained through AIDT and an additional 1,280 will go through the training in 2005. Through 18 different training classes, more than 2,700 will go through the program. Once they complete the eight-week training, these individuals are interviewed by HMMA for the 1,600 Production and Maintenance positions.

Once hired, many will go to Korea for hands-on training in Hyundai’s manufacturing facilities. In 2003, 75 Team Members were trained in Korea. This year, another 268 will be trained in Korea.

RECORD SALES IN THE UNITED STATES
Hyundai experienced record sales in the United States in 2003. Last year, 400,221 vehicles were sold in the U.S., a 6.69 percent increase over 2002. Kia, Hyundai’s sister company, sold 237,000 vehicles in the United States last year.

Kia and Hyundai are part of the Hyundai Automotive Group, which is currently the 7th largest automaker in the world. The goal for Hyundai Automotive Group is to be in the Global Top 5 by 2010. HMMA will play a large part in helping achieve this goal.

Last week, Hyundai unveiled the HCD8 concept sports car at the Detroit Auto Show. The concept car is an indication of the exciting Hyundai vehicles in the future.

In 2004, Hyundai will introduce the Tucson, a new addition to Hyundai’s SUV line of vehicles. These vehicles will be available in showrooms later this year and are expected to help further increase Hyundai sales in the United States.

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