COLUMBIA, S.C. — A European maker of car seats will open its first factory in the United States inside the Scout Motors supplier park in Blythewood, just north of Columbia SC. Brose Sitech plans to put $29.5 million into the Richland County plant and hire 330 workers, state leaders announced on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The 140,000-square-foot building will sit in the park’s Just in Time facility and will turn out complete sets of seats for vehicles built at the neighboring Scout plant. The company expects production to begin in 2027.
Brose Sitech is based in Poland and runs 22 sites around the world, with its North American regional office in Detroit. It builds full seats as well as seat frames and other parts.
Richland County signed off on a 30-year tax break plus tax credits for the company on Oct. 20, as part of a package of incentive deals for several large projects.
Gov. Henry McMaster said the 330 jobs build on the state’s standing in auto manufacturing. Richland County Council Chairwoman Jesica Mackey said the investment shows global manufacturers want to be in the county. Scout Motors chief executive Scott Keogh said the supplier park was meant to draw more jobs and investment, and that this deal is the first step toward that goal.
The supplier park sits on the 1,100-acre Scout campus, which is still under construction. Once the plant is finished in 2028, Scout plans a workforce of 4,000 and output of 200,000 vehicles a year. Lawmakers approved a record $1.3 billion incentive package to land the automaker in 2023.
The project has drawn pushback from some residents and environmental groups over the scale of construction at the site.
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