On 14 November 2012, the voestalpine Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Metal Forming Division’s new plant in Cartersville, Ga. The most recent U.S. investment into the future production of automotive components is worth around €50 million and the plant will be operational by June 2013. Once fully up and running, the plant will provide jobs for around 220 employees. Over the coming years voestalpine will invest significantly more than €100 million into new plants in China, the U.S., South Africa, Romania and Germany as part of its comprehensive globalization strategy in the automotive sector.

The new U.S. site is the first step in the deliberate global expansion in the premium automotive sector. voestalpine Stamptec Inc. will start with press activities and assembly; investments into hot forming and laser-welded blanks will follow.

"The USA is an key automotive market, making it an important cornerstone of our globalization strategy. The new plant in Cartersville will form the basis for our automotive activitites in North America. This investment is only a first step and further expansion is already being planned," explained Kurt Hinterhölzl, management board member of the voestalpine Metal Forming Division, in his opening speech.

"This expansion is also our first step in meeting increasing customer demand for our presence in their local markets. Our aim is to provide our usual high standards of quality to all our main customers in the premium sector, and in their own relevant regions," added Peter Bernscher, head of the Automotive Body Parts business unit in the Metal Forming Division.

Commissioner Clarence Brown, Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini and Joint Development Authority Chairman James Jarrett, all present at the groundbreaking ceremony, were unanimous in their outlook: "We are very pleased about the investment being made by voestalpine, an outstanding and well-respected Austrian company. We’re sure that the representatives of Cartersville and Bartow County will be delighted with their new neighbors and that Georgia offers voestalpine the ideal location and framework conditions."

The steel processing and technology group voestalpine is constantly expanding its global presence. voestalpine sites on four continents are currently being expanded or newly established close to the production facilities of renowned automotive manufacturers to create new plants for the Automotive Body Parts segment. Thus the Metal Forming Division’s automotive sector will serve to enhance the global presence we already enjoy in other segments. "We are following the automotive manufacturers, especially the European marques, into growth markets, and significantly strengthening our presence in these regions," explains Chairman of the Management Board Wolfgang Eder.

During the business year 2011/12, the voestalpine Group generated 44% of its €12.1 billion revenue in the Mobility sector. Two-thirds of this was generated in the automotive industry.