Leading Kia muffler supplier to locate in Troup County

ATLANTA, November 20, 2007 - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Georgia has landed another leading Kia supplier, Sejong Georgia LLC. The company will create 250 jobs and invest $27.8 million in a LaGrange facility.
'With a great supplier like Sejong on board, Georgia is continuing to build on the success of landing Kia,' said Governor Sonny Perdue. 'Our strength in the automotive industry has garnered Georgia upwards of 1,400 supplier jobs, on top of 2,900 jobs at the Kia facility.'

Based in Wulsan, Korea, Sejong will manufacture muffler and exhaust systems for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. The company has secured a 23-acre site—the former Federal Mogul facility on Lukken Industrial Drive West—in LaGrange.

Sejong plans to retrofit the 108,000-square-foot building on the site and will begin production in October 2009. The company is a longtime Kia supplier and this will be its second U.S. plant. Sejong has a facility in Fort Deposit, Ala. to supply Hyundai.

'Our new location in LaGrange will be the perfect site for us to supply Kia with our top-quality exhaust systems,' said Sejong Georgia president H.S. Kim. 'We look forward to growing our business in West Georgia.'

Today officials from the city of LaGrange and Sejong signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the site.

'Having visited Sejong's facilities in Korea and Alabama, I am certain that they will be an excellent community partner,' said Diethard Lindner, chairman of the Development Authority of LaGrange. 'We are proud to welcome Sejong to LaGrange.'

Sejong is one of several Kia suppliers that have located in Georgia in recent months. Last month Dongwon Autopart Technology announced plans to locate a plant in Meriwether County, creating 300 jobs. In August, Hyundai Mobis signed on to locate a facility in West Point, creating 600 jobs. Other automotive suppliers, including Pretty Products, DaeLim USA and Sumika Polymer Compounds America, Inc. have announced West Georgia facilities in recent months with jobs totaling approximately 250.

Mark Lytle was project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Parent company Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd, founded in 1976, is a leader in the Korean auto part industry. The company has become one of the world's top five automotive suppliers with a strong investment in R&D and a drive for quality. In recent years Sejong has improved customer satisfaction and developed new technologies for producing environmentally-friendly auto parts.