Chinese Auto Supplier To Take Over GM’s Former Plant In Moraine, Ohio

The process of replacing U.S. jobs with those in developing nations is nothing new, as both American and foreign corporations have been replacing American workers with those in cheap labor countries for years. But when an international company creates jobs in the U.S. of A… well, that’s newsworthy. And that’s exactly what’s taking place in the Dayton, Ohio suburb of Moraine.

Some General Motors enthusiasts might remember that The General used to own and operate a factory in the area. Originally opened in 1951 as a Frigidaire appliance plant, the facility produced GMT360-based SUVs like the Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy. But when the economy took a nosedive thanks to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, The General shuttered the facility in December 2008, putting 2,500 people out of work in the process. The plant has since been sold to Industrial Realty Group in 2011, but with no interested tenants, the facility was planned for demolition… until very recently, when a Chinese auto-glass company expressed interest in moving into the plant, a move that would create 800 manufacturing jobs in the process.

Last week, Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Representative Mike Turner (R-Dayton) both sent out press releases to congratulate Fuyao Group chairman Cao Dewang and the state of Ohio on the decision to utilize the plant. Portman said the move testified to the talent in the Dayton region of Ohio, while Turner commented that the development is a part of a congressional effort to save the plant from demolition, adding that it will directly provide hundreds of jobs and can potentially add even more via suppliers and distributors. But it gets even better: it’s rumored that Fuyao is planning to invest at least $200 million into facility.

A Chinese company creating jobs in America? Now that’s something you don’t see every day.