Isuzu Truck Assembly Plant
The Isuzu Truck Assembly Plant was a proposed industrial development at the former Del Monte Distribution Center at 1573 Sterilite Drive in the Valley East Industrial Park off Pinson Valley Parkway.
Isuzu's plans to buy the property for a truck assembly plant were announced in January 2007, and referenced in Mayor Bernard Kincaid's 2007 State of the City address. At the time it was believed the plant would produce as many as 5,000 light commercial trucks per year and employ 1,000 people. The Metropolitan Development Board and Alabama Development Office participated with the city in recruitment.
In December of that year, the project was put on hold due to the emergence of a crisis in the U. S. home credit market. Isuzu officials expressed concern with the health of the American market, and the potential repercussions on the global economy.
Isuzu purchased the 36.7-acre site with the existing 293,000-square-foot building for $8 million and maintained it over the following years, but never proceeded with redevelopment. The automaker put the property back on the market in 2011 with an asking price of $7.4 million. Kamtek purchased the property in October 2012 for that price.
References
- Underwood, Jerry (December 12, 2007) "Report: Isuzu freezing plans for truck plant eyed for Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Tomberlin, Michael (February 17, 2011) "Isuzu building on market; Pinson project dead." The Birmingham News
- Poe, Ryan (November 8, 2012) "Kamtek buys former Del Monte site for $7M." Birmingham Business Journal