A 40-year-plus industry in Hopkinsville had its expansion plans revealed by Gov. Andy Beshear Wednesday afternoon, confirming further manufacturing and job growth to south western Kentucky.
White Drive Motors & Steering, a standalone business unit of Danfoss Power Solutions, will be upsizing its 124,000-square-foot facility at 110 Bill Bryan Boulevard another 13,000 square feet — adding 25 full-time jobs and a $16 million investment surrounding drive shaft technology in orbital motors and hydraulic steering units.
More specifically, Beshear said the company is opting to move its production of the gearset, or “heart of the unit,” to Kentucky — bringing its operations from Parchim, Germany.
Shawn Snider, White’s senior director of operations, said the company was “confident” of this project’s success, and were “looking forward to receiving support from state and local governments.”
South Western Kentucky EDC Executive Director Carter Hendricks said White’s decision to expand was more than just the jobs being provided to the community — well-paying as they will be.
It’s the company’s commitment to Christian County and the surrounding region — a place where agri-business, automotive, manufacturing and industrial organizations continue to invest and unfurl.
White is a member of the Interpump Group, which is a global business specializing in hydraulic fluid power and high-pressure pump systems, and the company itself crafts units used in agricultural, construction and material-handling applications.
Hendricks added that the continued diversification of careers in west Kentucky will always be a top focus for SWK and interested local authorities.
In a written statement to the governor’s office, Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam assure this measure from White is “a further testament that Christian County is a great place to do business, with a low cost of living and even lower taxes.”
Mayor J.R. Knight added that the City of Hopkinsville “values White Drive’s investment” into the community.
In the first quarter of 2021, officials with Danfoss Power Solutions announced White Drive Motors & Steering as a business unit in conjunction with the closing of Eaton Hydraulics.
Through this move, three Danfoss locations in Hopkinsville, Wroclaw, Poland and Parchim, Germany helped bring along new business expansions in Shawnee, Oklahoma and Eden Prairie, Minnesota — all told involving nearly 800 company employees.
