Ghafari, a global full-service engineering, architecture, process design, consulting, and construction firm based in Dearborn, today announced it has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive architecture and engineering services for a new automotive plant for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama. The joint venture presents a $1.6 billion investment by the two automakers.
The complex is slated to be nearly 6 million square feet, the largest of its kind in terms of size and operational capacity. The campus will include a press shop, welding shop, paint shop, general assembly facility, test track, ancillary support building, and an administration building.
“We are excited to have this opportunity,” says Michael Swiatkowski, director of project management at Ghafari. “A project of this magnitude speaks to our level of expertise and our commitment to client satisfaction. Our firm has held the top spot in the nation for automotive plant design for over a decade. We look forward to expanding our geographic footprint and enhancing our relationship with Mazda-Toyota over the course of this project.”
The new plant will have the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles per year, with production split evenly between the two companies. The plant will produce a new Mazda crossover model and the Toyota Corolla. Construction is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. Vehicle production is expected to start in 2021.
