By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – Governor Bob Riley announced Thursday that Alabama has landed a third Kia Motors Corporation supplier to be located in Opelika. Riley said the new Daewon America plant will create 170 jobs. The announcement came a day before the groundbreaking of Kia's one-point-two (B) billion dollar auto plant in West Point, Georgia. Kwang-Sung America, a Korea-based supplier for the Kia plant, broke ground last week on its new facility in Dadeville that will create 150 new jobs. Last month, Riley broke ground on the expansion of HS Automotive, an existing Hyndai supplier in Enterprise. The company is growing by 500 new jobs so it can also become a Kia supplier. Daewon America will manufacture suspension bars and coils for Kia at a new 163-thousan-square foot facility. Riley also announced yesterday that he is sending a delegation back to South Korea in mid-November to follow up with potential Kia suppliers. The governor led a delegation to South Korea in July.