KTH Leesburg Products (KLP) located in Leesburg, Alabama, a
producer of frame components for Honda, said it plans a $60 million
expansion of the auto part manufacturing plant. Plant manager and Vice
President John Boyer said that KLP will roughly double the size of the
structure, which currently stands at 170,000 square feet.
When the expansion is complete in mid-2004, KLP will be able to
produce about 1,300 units every day double the current output, Boyer
said. Boyer said the new equipment at the plant will include a 1,500-ton
transfer press, 109 new welding robots, and around 125 new employees.
There are currently 165 people employed full-time at KLP, Boyer said.
"With this new equipment, we will be able to construct
different frame parts for different vehicles, depending on consumer
demand," Boyer said.
KLP broke ground on June 13, 2000 and began producing frame
components for the Honda Odyssey minivan in November 2001. The Odyssey
is constructed at a 1.7 million-square-feet plant in Lincoln, Alabama.
KLP is a join venture of KTH Parts Industries of St. Paris, Ohio
and Hongo Co. of Japan. In addition to the Leesburg facility, the
company has two plants in Ohio and one in Canada.
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