Foreign direct investment has been an undeniably significant source of job growth in the Commonwealth of Kentucky over the past few decades. In all, more than 500 facilities across the state have foreign ownership ties to 34 unique nations. Taylor County is no exception to this trend. Representing a diverse industry base, which includes automotive components manufacturing and distribution, plastic tubing manufacturing and customer support operations, Taylor County’s internationally owned facilities showcase a dynamic and progressive business climate.
As Campbellsville’s largest foreign-owned facility, Teleperformance employs approximately 400 people at its facility located on Hotchkiss Street, growing steadily over the past several years. The worldwide leader in outsourced customer experience management services recently acquired Intelenet, a leading global alternative asset manager. The company, headquartered in France, has more than 110 blue chip clients across the globe.
Another European-owned Campbellsville facility is Fluortubing US, representing the Netherlands. The privately owned plastics tubing manufacturer is located on Industrial Drive, in the heart of Taylor County’s industrial community. Although the company’s employment numbers are relatively small, its presence in the community has been impactful over its 12-year history in Taylor County. Most of the company’s products are custom made for highly demanding applications in the chemical processing industries, power generation, as well as the aircraft and automotive industries.
Moving further east, Murakami Manufacturing USA, a Japanese automotive components supplier, opened its only U.S. manufacturing operation on a 20-acre property in Campbellsville in 2001. Today, the company’s 300 employees produce interior and exterior mirrors at its nearly 200,000 square-foot facility on the Water Tower By-Pass, supplying carmakers such as Lexus, Toyota, Honda and Nissan. Murakami Manufacturing has undergone numerous expansions over the years. In all, nearly $32 million in new capital investment has been pumped into the facility beyond its initial location investment.
“Murakami Manufacturing USA, Inc. builds over 9,000 exterior mirrors per day for world-renowned automakers in our Taylor County facility,” said Michael Rodenberg, Chairman and CEO of Murakami Manufacturing USA, Inc. “Since our groundbreaking in 2000, Murakami has enjoyed a very good relationship with Taylor County and the city of Campbellsville.”
Also from Asia is one of only six Korean-owned facilities to have located or announced a location in Kentucky. INFAC North America, named from the words Infinite Accuracy, fell in love with Campbellsville more than 10 years ago. The company’s reputation as a world-class supplier of automotive control cables and parts has been cemented by its employees’ attention to detail.
“One of the ways we achieve infinite accuracy is through our people. The way that they show that to us is through their quality, productivity and performance,” said Brian Bland, general manager of the companies Campbellsville operation. “One of the things that we’re most proud of is the fact that we’ve gone over 70 months to our customer Kia Motors without a single defect. That’s a testament to not only the work ethic, but the attention to quality and detail that the people in and around Campbellsville have to offer.”
Taylor County’s global presence can be felt throughout the region, bringing jobs, new investment opportunities and cultural diversity to the community. For more information about Taylor County’s existing industrial base, visit the Existing Employers page at TeamTaylorCounty.com.