CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) LG Electronics broke ground Thursday in Clarksville on the South Korean appliance maker’s first washing machine plant in the United States. Company, state, federal and local officials were on hand for the ceremony.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan and Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett spoke at the ceremony. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was also on hand for the groundbreaking and talked about the new LG plant.
“I’d like to begin by congratulating LG Electronics on selecting the U.S. for its new factory. This is the third recent new facility in the U.S. We’re looking forward to another three, another four, another five, another six or more,” said Ross.
Ross added that LG’s $250 million capital investment will bring 600 stable, high paying jobs to Clarksville. “I’m also sure that the 65,000 military population at Fort Campbell, the 68,000 retirees in the area, and Montgomery County’s 190,000 civilian population, all will be great customers for LG,” he said.
Work is moving forward on the site of the new 829,000-square-foot factory at 3525 Jim Johnson Road. John Taylor, Senior Vice President of LG Electronics U.S.A. said the first washing machines should be coming off the line in early 2019.
Taylor said employees are already being hired for the new factory. “It’s already started, we’ve got the core group in place, we’re continuing to build out the office team and support for the construction. You’ll see it ramp up in 2018 as we get ready for production in that first quarter of 2019,” said Taylor.
The Clarksville site for LG was announced in February after a national search over the past six years. The LG plant will be near the new Google data center on the former Hemlock Semiconductor that was closed in 2013. South Korean tire maker Hankook also has a new factory under construction in Clarksville.
