Opinion: S.C. auto industry is rolling into the future

It’s a little-known fact that South Carolina is credited with manufacturing the first successful automobile in the Southeastern United States. It was a century ago in Rock Hill – just eight years after the first Model T rolled off Henry Ford’s assembly lines – that the Anderson Motor Co. produced the successful “Anderson” automobile models that were crafted using luxury materials and cutting-edge innovations.

John Gary Anderson was a carriage maker who had the foresight and the courage to shift the entire focus of his business, and in the process, help create the next generation of transportation. Anderson’s spirit and drive continues to live on in the Palmetto State today, propelling our automotive industry to the top of its class.

In fact, some of the top minds of this industry will gather together in Greenville next week at the eighth annual S.C. Automotive Summit. Leaders from companies like BMW, Bosch, Continental, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Michelin North America and Volvo will meet to celebrate the industry’s past and to foster collaborative efforts for its continued success in our state.

South Carolina has built a global reputation with our ability to attract an impressive roster of automotive manufacturing companies. A major milestone was 1992, when BMW announced its first US manufacturing facility, Plant Spartanburg. The impact of that decision now supports more than 40 in-state suppliers and employs 11,000.

Mercedes-Benz Vans of North Charleston has assembled 130,000 Sprinter Vans since 2006. Just last year, it expanded with a new full-production facility, and Volvo Cars also began production of its new S60 mid-size luxury sedan at the company’s first American manufacturing site in Ridgeville. The 2019 model is the first Volvo car to be built in the USA. 

South Carolina is equally competitive in the tire, ATV and electric automotive markets too. It is home to many of the world’s largest tire companies, including Bridgestone, Continental, Giti, Michelin, and Trelleborg. They are major employers in their communities and produce millions of tires annually. 

Over the past two decades, Honda Manufacturing of South Carolina has produced more than 3 million ATVs at its Timmonsville plant.

An industry leader in electric buses, Proterra’s manufacturing facility in Greenville serves as yet another indicator that South Carolina is continuing to look to the future and the next generation of transportation.

This growth has been supported by South Carolina’s world-class academic and research institutions, including the Clemson University – International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). These organizations work directly with industry professionals to develop new technologies that further advance our automotive industry.

The major investments by these companies demonstrate the potential our state and our workforce hold for others. Our “Team SC” collaborative mindset has enabled all levels of government, economic development organizations, service providers and others to work together to create our nation’s strongest tire and automotive industry – exporting more tires and completed passenger vehicles than any other state.

Each time a new OEM or supplier opens in our state, that investment ripples out to smaller communities and service providers, spurring even more job creation. But even bigger than that, these suppliers and their employees support much more than just our state-based automakers; they are global suppliers supporting global customers.           

At next week’s Automotive Summit in Greenville, we will gather to spotlight this momentum. I hope to see you there.

Sara Hazzard is president and CEO of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA). SCMA’s members, more than 200 manufacturing companies , represent more than 80,000 associates in South Carolina.