A German auto-parts maker is planting its first U.S. factory in Blythewood, with South Carolina officials announcing that Brose Sitech plans to invest $29.5 million and create 330 new jobs at the Scout Motors Supplier Park in Richland County. The project would mark Brose Sitech's first manufacturing operation in the United States, giving the fast-growing Scout Motors campus another major supplier before the main assembly plant even opens.
According to South Carolina Commerce, Brose Sitech will set up shop inside the Supplier Park to produce complete car seat sets and seat structure components. As WLTX reported, the company plans to manufacture complete seat sets specifically for Scout Motors, tying its new South Carolina footprint directly to the automaker's production needs. The announcement did not specify when the facility is expected to begin operations or when hiring for the 330 positions will start.
Notably, not every outlet has landed on the same numbers for this project. The Post and Courier described a Brose Sitech project calling for roughly $30 million and 180 new jobs, a notably smaller jobs figure than the 330 positions cited by state commerce officials. Both figures are attributed to their respective sources here, since the dossier does not resolve which set is current.
A Joint Venture With Deep European Roots
Brose Sitech isn't a startup chasing its first customer. Founded in 1998, the company is a 50/50 joint venture between the Volkswagen Group and Brose, and it specializes in manufacturing complete car seat sets and seat structure components, according to a case study published by FANUC. That same case study notes that trends like e-mobility, cross-system connectivity and autonomous driving are reshaping what automakers need from vehicle interiors — context that helps explain why a seat specialist with Volkswagen ties would want a foothold at a new American truck and SUV plant.
The Columbia Area Development Partnership said it worked closely with Brose Sitech and state and local partners to bring the project to Richland County, per WLTX's reporting. The organization said the project demonstrates the broader economic impact of Scout Motors' investment in the region, arguing that attracting a major automotive manufacturer creates opportunities for additional suppliers to locate nearby, generating jobs, capital investment and manufacturing expertise.
Scout's Supplier Park Keeps Growing
The Brose Sitech news adds to an already sprawling buildout at the Supplier Park, which Scout Motors describes as a central logistics and production hub for parts, batteries and accessories feeding its main assembly operations. Scout Motors announced a $300 million investment in the park as part of what it calls a strategy to build a fully integrated, domestic supply chain, according to a September update from Scout Motors. The company said access roads, parking lots and rail supply lines are already going in and show substantial progress.
Scout's broader Blythewood Production Center represents a $2 billion investment and is expected to create more than 4,000 permanent jobs, the same company update states. The Supplier Park itself will span nearly 200 acres and include more than 2.3 million square feet of manufacturing and logistics space, per a report from SC Biz News. Separately, the park is projected to support around 1,000 supplier jobs and generate $368 million in related local investment, according to Assembly Magazine.
Suppliers Are Piling In Across the State
Brose Sitech is far from the only company chasing Scout Motors contracts. Seven automotive suppliers plan to invest more than $82 million and create 200 jobs across Spartanburg, Duncan and Piedmont in the Upstate, according to WYFF4. Among those Upstate projects, the Post and Courier has reported that Spartanburg Steel plans to invest $40 million and create 60 jobs making stamping components, while Magna DRIVE plans $15 million and 30 jobs for stampings and assemblies.
Smaller suppliers are rounding out that Upstate cluster too: KV Final plans $14 million and 50 jobs in stamping, Rochling Automotive plans $5 million and 15 jobs for grille shutters and wheel-arch liners, Magna Mirrors plans $5 million and 15 jobs producing exterior mirrors, and Cooper Standard plans $3 million and 15 jobs in glass sealing systems, the newspaper's report states. Farther south, Sodecia and Aapica have announced plans to invest $120 million and create 392 jobs at an Orangeburg County facility producing ladder frames for Scout.
Back in Richland County, the Brose Sitech announcement fits a pattern of incentive-backed growth around the Scout campus. Other Richland County incentive projects approved on Oct. 20 were expected to total approximately $95 million in investment and nearly 300 new jobs, not counting a separate Westinghouse expansion, the Post and Courier reported. Taken together, the figures point to a supplier ecosystem building up around Blythewood well before Scout's own trucks and SUVs start rolling off the line.
