Home » White Drive Motors & Steering to relocate production to Christian County

White Drive Motors & Steering to relocate production to Christian County

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — White Drive Motors & Steering, a manufacturer of orbital motors and hydraulic steering units, announced that the company would expand its presence in Kentucky with an addition to its 124,000-square-foot facility in Christian County, creating 25 full-time jobs with a nearly $16 million investment.

The project is moving production of the gearset, known as “the heart of the unit,” to Kentucky, transferring the company’s intended production operations from Parchim, Germany, to Bill Bryan Boulevard in Hopkinsville. The project includes a nearly 13,000-square-foot expansion to the existing 124,000-square-foot Christian County facility.

“We are thrilled to announce that we plan to expand our Hopkinsville facility at White, which will bring in jobs and create economic growth for the local area,” said White Senior Director of Operations Shawn Snyder. “We are confident this project will be a major success and look forward to receiving support from the state and local governments. This expansion is an exciting part of our vision of providing excellent products, services and opportunities for the people of the local community and customers around the world. We believe in fostering a vibrant community and investment in the area’s future development. Together, we can make tremendous strides toward improving economic prosperity for everyone involved.”

White is a member of the Interpump Group, a global business specializing in hydraulic fluid power and high-pressure pumps. White manufactures hydraulic steering units and orbital motors, primarily used in agricultural, construction and material handling applications.

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) on Thursday preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $475,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of at least $10.19 million and annual targets of:

  • Creation and maintenance of 25 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and
  • Paying an average hourly wage of $34 including benefits across those jobs.

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, White can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.