Magna Steyr, the Austrian automotive powerhouse, has shifted into high gear with a hiring spree for its new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona. This expansion by Magna, a leading contract carmaker, is poised to bolster job opportunities within the Greater Phoenix region, as the company is actively recruiting for 19 positions, among them vacancies for a facilities manager and a human resource manager. The firm has planted the flag on its website with a call for qualified individuals to "join our new team," emphasizing the significant roles to be had in shaping the future of mobility—a venture promising competitive wages and sound benefits packages, ABC15 reported.
While the specifics of the Mesa operations remain under wraps, job listings are concentrated in the ZIP code 85212, an area known for its bustling industrial activity, and nods toward the automotive giant taking up residence at the substantially sized Power Industrial park have been made. A recent building permit application filed with the city of Mesa makes mention of a "Magna room" and "Magna IT rooms," signaling preparations are afoot although no official statement has been released by Magna's parent company, the Fortune 500-ranked Magna International-based in Canada, which is renowned as the fourth largest auto supplier globally—it's worth noting that the southeast Valley has already seen close to a million square feet in leasing amidst its Q1 2024 growth spurt, a period marked by significant positive net absorption of space as per Cushman & Wakefield's market report as reported by The Business Journal.
The mesa spans nearly 586,000 square feet across four buildings, with Building 4 alone measuring under 230,000 square feet, this particular location is fully leased according to the project's property listing. While Magna's liaison with Power Industrial remains tacit, one can't help but wonder at the scope of operations planned for this massive undertaking in Mesa. CBRE Group's brokers Jackie Orcutt, Kevin Cosca, and Jonathan Teeter, associated with Power Industrial's listings, have kept mum on the deal, and the city of Mesa's economic development department has similarly withheld comment.
With over 179,000 employees worldwide, Magna's foray into Mesa comes on the heels of its announcement last summer to inject $790 million into three facilities in Tennessee anticipated to create 1,300 jobs, as the Memphis Business Journal documented; however, while Magna Steyr's partnership with Fisker Inc. has been to build electric vehicles in Austria, a knock-on effect of this development is "currently idled" according to the company's latest quarterly earnings call—highlighting the unpredictable dance of automotive manufacturing and Modus operandi shifting with the market's rhythm and consumer demand. The Phoenix area's economic landscape seems undoubtedly set for transformation as the area's construction surge, documented by CBRE at approximately 8.8 million square feet in Q1 2024, continues against nearly 3.8 million new inventory having been delivered at that time.
