AISIN Automotive Casting Tennessee, Inc. recently announced plans for a $67 million expansion to its Clinton, Tenn., facility, a move that is expected to add 160 jobs to its current workforce of 400 employees. The company's announcement marks the third recent expansion by a top-ten auto parts maker in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley. Both Denso, the largest manufacturing employer in the 16-county region, and Eagle Bend, a division of Magna International, are expanding their operations within the region. Innovation Valley has evolved into a high tech center for practical, automotive research. In May of this year, four high profile Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley institutions — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), University of Tennessee (UT), Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI) — announced they would spearhead the Automotive Research Alliance, a major new initiative supporting the auto industry. ORNL and UT are also heavily involved in Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen's push to make Tennessee a world leader in biofuel research and production. "AISIN represents the type of company we are targeting to locate and expand in Tennessee," Governor Bredesen says. AISIN's expansion bolsters the Innovation Valley's auto supply sector, which now accounts for about 20 percent of the region's manufacturing employment. AISIN has locations around the world," says Tim Thompson, president of the Anderson County Economic Development Association. "The decision to expand here shows how positive they are about the Innovation Valley's workforce and business climate." The Clinton operation is a full-process, die-casting facility that includes casting, machining and assembly to produce functional engine components, such as water pumps, oil pumps and pistons for customers located throughout the South and Midwest. "Announcements like this come only after many hours of hard work by partners at the county, city and state level," says Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. "It is this type of partnership that is critical to the success of our state's economy." Kisber commended the Anderson County Economic Development Association, the Clinton Utilities Board, Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch, Clinton Mayor Wimp Shoopman and the Tennessee Valley Authority for working together to make the Aisin expansion a reality. For more information about Aisin, visit the company's Web site. | 
