Former Alabama steel mill site could host auto components plant

An industrial site where steel used to be made in Gadsden, Alabama, soon instead could generate recyclable materials if recently announced plans come to fruition.

A March 6 announcement posted to the city's website says Taiwan-based Minth Group Ltd. plans to construct its largest-ever campus through a $430 million investment at a former Republic Steel and later Gulf States Steel mill site.

The city says the investment has the potential to create more than 1,300 jobs at the site, which has been idle since Gulf States Steel filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy liquidation in 2000, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The planned investment at the 400-acre brownfield site will produce plastic and aluminum components for automakers’ U.S. plants, including Hyundai in Montgomery, Alabama, and Kia in West Point, Georgia, according to city officials.

“From rubble to renewal, from depression to prosperity—this site, once a reminder of jobs that moved overseas, now represents a bright future,” says William Chin, the son of Minth’s founder and the company’s chief strategy officer. “It’s not rubber and steel anymore; it’s plastic and aluminum. We see tremendous opportunity here to serve the evolving needs of the automotive industry.”

The city says Minth is an industry leader in automotive trim and structural components, with 78 plants around the world. Such plants can produce recyclable factory offcuts, as well as old corrugated containers, plastic films and other recyclable materials.

“They have tremendous plans for this facility, and I'm thrilled to have them become a part of our community and our future,” Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford says of Minth.

Minth’s U.S. operations are part of Minth North America Inc., with regional headquarters in Wixom, Michigan, and two other existing locations in Michigan and Tennessee.

The Gadsden site is expected to be a flagship U.S. facility with nearly 1 million square feet of manufacturing space, according to the city.

“Alabama is a worldwide leader in automotive innovation, and Minth Group Ltd.’s plans to build an advanced manufacturing hub in Gadsden is another successful chapter for our state industry,” Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair says.