South Carolina Manufacturing Expands with Tire Plant near Columbia
Ideal Opportunity for Graduates from ECPI University’s Nearby Columbia, South Carolina Campus
A Chinese tire company is planning to build a new advanced manufacturing operation just outside Columbia, South Carolina in Orangeburg County. According to a news report in The State, Wanli Tire Corp. will invest approximately $1 billion dollars in a facility that will employ 1,200 new workers.
In a news release, the company’s chairman said Wanli is the largest producer of radial tires in southern China and one of his country’s largest radial tire exporters. Wanli officials say South Carolina’s central location and the more than 200 auto-parts makers located in the region played a key role in their decision. South Carolina is currently home to a BMW manufacturing plant in Greer that employs about 8,800 people. Additionally, Volvo is building a plant in Berkeley County that will employ at least 2,000 workers, and Mercedes-Benz Vans is building a plant in Charleston that will employ up to 1,300 people.
According to the company’s website, Wanli produces 16 million tires a year, but in a statement, the company says it will add six million more tires to that total at the new South Carolina facility. That’s a “very healthy” goal -- but doable, said Lewis Gossett, president of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance to a reporter with The State.
To generate that kind of volume, companies rely heavily on robotics and other automated systems which can produce tires much faster than humans. This same technology allows American companies of all types to compete effectively against cheap foreign labor. It’s also bringing foreign companies like Wanli to American shores. The money they spend in America is more than offset by what they save transporting their products halfway across the world.
The people who work with these automated systems are highly skilled, a large number of which specialize in electronics engineering technology. As the manufacturing sector continues to grow, companies are relying on educators to help produce graduates who can do this kind of work.
When the company begins hiring, Wanli will not have to look far for top talent. ECPI University and its nearby Columbia campus offer an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology (EET). The EET program includes a wide range of curriculum aligned with the advanced manufacturing technology, including classes in:
- Data Acquisition and Control Systems
- Computer Hardware
- Software Logic and Design
- Data Communications and Networking
- Object Oriented Programming
- Programmable Logic Controllers
- Analog and Digital Electronics
- Electrical Circuit and Semiconductors
- Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems
- Materials Science
What’s more, ECPI University’s year-round, accelerated schedule allows students to complete their program much faster. In fact, you could earn an Associate of Applied Science in Electronics Engineering Technology in as little as 1.5 years. If you would like to take advantage of this exciting opportunity, connect with a helpful admissions advisor at ECPI University’s Columbia campus today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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