Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Dong-A Hwa Sung Co., LTD. officials announced the company will locate its first U.S. operations, Dong-A USA, Inc., in Martin. The home appliance and automotive supplier will create approximately 220 jobs and invest $13 million in Weakley County, which represents the largest and only foreign direct investment in Weakley County’s history.
“Dong-A’s decision to locate its first U.S. facility in Weakley County and create more than 200 new jobs in Martin is another victory for our state,” Haslam said. “Tennessee continues to be a strong location for foreign direct investment, with more than 140,000 Tennesseans employed at foreign-owned companies. Because of significant investments like this, Tennessee will lead in the creation of high-quality jobs. I appreciate Dong-A for its investment in Weakley County and for its commitment to Tennessee.”
“We are most grateful that South Korea based Dong-A has made the decision to locate its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Weakley County,” Rolfe said. “South Korea continues to be a strong partner to Tennessee, with South Korean companies pledging to invest more than $1 billion in capital and create more than 4,000 jobs in our state since 2011. I thank Dong-A for making the largest foreign direct investment in Weakley County’s history and for creating more than 200 high-quality jobs in Martin.”
Dong-A Hwa Sung, established in 1974, is a South Korean supplier of rubber and plastic components for the home appliance and automotive sectors. The company’s customers include major automotive companies including Hyundai/Kia, Nissan and GM as well as home appliance manufacturers including LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, among many others. The company currently has seven overseas operations.
“For our bright future in the U.S., we believe Martin is the best place to start our business.
The reasons why we chose this amazing city is that we found that Martin has a business-friendly environment and the people engaging in this project showed us great cooperation, teamwork and warm-hearted hospitality,” Dong-A Hwa Sung, USA President Nag-Jae Sung said. “We are sure that this project can not only make our business grow, but also boost economic development in this area. We hope that this project will lead to further develop the business.”
Dong-A will locate its new operations to a 100,000-square-foot building in Martin. With this facility, Dong-A will be a supplier for LG as well as other companies in Tennessee and North America and will be better equipped to serve its North American customers.
Local leaders and the Tennessee Valley Authority thanked Dong-A for its investment in Martin.
“This is an exciting day for Martin,” Martin Mayor Randy Brundige said. “The addition of Dong-A further diversifies our community both industrially and culturally. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome them to our community, wishing them success and many years of working together.”
“Today is a day to be proud in Weakley County. We are honored to be the new home of Dong-A and are excited to celebrate the company as an important partner in our communities,” Weakley County Mayor Jake Bynum said. “We are proud of our Weakley County team as well as our extended regional and state teams who have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this project. Most especially, we are proud of the strengthened foundation we are continuing to build for the people of Weakley County today, as well as the advancement for future economic growth. Dong-A is a perfect fit for Weakley County.”
“TVA and Weakly County Municipal Electric System congratulate Dong-A on its decision to locate and create new job opportunities and investment in Martin,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley. “We are proud to partner with Weakley County Joint Economic Development Board, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, city of Martin, and local officials to help celebrate this announcement and help facilitate highly impactful job creation by Dong-A.”
Martin and Weakley County are represented by Sen. John Stevens (R – Huntingdon) and Rep. Andy Holt (R – Dresden) in the Tennessee General Assembly.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Team Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find on the web: tnecd.com. Follow on Twitter: @tnecd. Like on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.