Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that that Samkee Corp., a South Korean automotive supplier, plans to invest $128 million to open its first U.S. factory in Alabama through a project that will create 170 jobs in Tuskegee. Samkee is poised to begin construction on the new manufacturing facility in the Tuskegee Commerce Park. The company will serve as a Tier 1 supplier to Hyundai Motor Co. Founded in 1978, Samkee specializes in high-pressure die-cast aluminum components, including parts for engines, transmissions and electric vehicles. Parts production at the advanced casting facility in Macon County is expected to begin during 2024.

General Motors Co. plans to invest $918 million in four U.S. manufacturing sites, including $854 million to prepare these facilities to produce the company’s sixth-generation Small Block V-8 engine and an additional $64 million in Rochester, N.Y., and Defiance, Ohio, for castings and components to support EV production. These investments will enable the company to strengthen its full-size truck and SUV business and continue to support the company’s growing EV product portfolio. These investments bolster GM’s U.S. manufacturing operations and highlights the company’s commitment to continue providing customers a strong portfolio of ICE vehicles well into the future while continuing to accelerate its transformation to an all-electric future.

General Motors plans to invest more than $51 million to install state-of-the-art equipment at its Bedford, Ind., aluminum die-casting foundry to support the manufacture of drive unit castings for the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and other current casting applications. Renovation work will begin immediately at the facility. The all-electric Silverado, powered by the Ultium Platform, will debut on Jan. 5, 2022. Earlier this year, the 1-million-square-foot site began producing electric drive unit castings for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup and 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV.

Allison Transmission Holdings Inc., a global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions, acquired the assets and certain liabilities of Walker Die Casting and C&R Tool and Engineering for approximately $103 million. Lewisburg, Tenn.-based Walker produces aluminum castings and supplies essential components for Allison’s core on-highway transmission products. Muscle Shoals, Ala.-based C&R Tool and Engineering supplies metalworking tools for use at Walker and other companies.

Constellium expanded its operations in Dahenfeld, Germany, to increase its supply of aluminum automotive structures. The company will manufacture a wide range of components for the body structure of a premium sports car from a new production hall. Enhanced capabilities at the plant include fully automated robotic assembly cells with integrated measurement for quality assurance. Constellium Dahenfeld will be able to deliver aluminum structural assemblies consisting of up to 20 individual components, including extrusions, castings and sheet materials.