The new US 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 in 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”, explains 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”, adds 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”.