KMMG Celebrates 2nd Anniversary since Start of Production
Posted on November 21st, 2011 by Patrick Sands
West Point, Ga. Nov. 17, 2011 – This week, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) will celebrate the second anniversary of the plant’s official start of mass production on Nov. 16, 2009.
Mr. Byung Mo Ahn, the group president and CEO for Kia Motors America and KMMG, said that it has been a very successful two years since the start of mass production of the Kia Sorento and he looks for continued growth and success as KMMG goes forward.
“When you think about where we started two years ago with one shift and 1,200 team members and where we are today with three shifts and more than 3,000 team members, it is really an incredible story,” said Ahn. “All of our success here in West Point can be credited to the dedication of our team members and the world-class quality they put into each vehicle we build.”
Since the start of production two years ago, KMMG has achieved many milestones. Below are a few of them:
- Oct. 1, 2010 – KMMG launches a second shift of production.
- April 2011 – KMMG begins a $100 million expansion that will bring the plant’s annual capacity to 360,000 units for 2012.
- June 13, 2011 – KMMG launches a third shift of production, bringing the total number of hires to more than 3,000.
- Sept. 2, 2011 – KMMG starts mass production of the 2012 Kia Optima.
In addition to the tremendous success of the more than $1 billion Kia plant, local suppliers have created another 7,500 new positions in the region to support KMMG’s annual capacity of 360,000 vehicles in 2012.
About Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) is the first manufacturing site in North America for Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, Korea. KMMG is located on 2,200 acres in West Point, Georgia, and began mass production of the 2011 Kia Sorento on Nov. 16, 2009. At full capacity, the plant will have the ability to build 360,000 vehicles annually from U.S. and globally-sourced parts.
