The announcement marks the third recent expansion by a top-ten auto-parts maker in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley. Both Denso, the largest manufacturing employer in the 16-county region, and Eagle Bend, a division of Magna International, are expanding their operations in the area.
The region has evolved into a high tech center for practical, automotive research. In May of this year, four high-profile Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley institutions?Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), University of Tennessee (UT), Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI)?announced they will anchor a major new initiative supporting the auto industry called the Automotive Research Alliance. ORNL and UT are also heavily involved in Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen's push to make Tennessee a world leader in biofuel research and production.
Aisin's expansion bolsters the Innovation Valley's auto supply sector, which now accounts for about 20 percent of the region's manufacturing employment.
Aisin's Clinton operation is a full-process, die-casting facility that includes casting, machining and assembly to produce functional engine components, such as water pumps, oil pumps and pistons for customers located throughout the South and Midwest.
