A South Korean maker of auto seating parts will build a $35 million factory in Georgia, hiring 300

A South Korean company that makes automotive seating said this week that it plans to build a $35 million factory in eastern Georgia to supply a new Hyundai Motor Group plant near Savannah.

DAS Corp., which makes metal frames and other parts for automotive seats, said it will hire 300 people to work at the new plant in Metter.

Hannah Mullins, the executive director of the Candler County Industrial Authority, said the DAS factory will take up about 200,000 square feet of space and that the starting pay for workers will be $20 an hour.

The state will pay to train workers. It also gave $500,000 last year to help local officials complete a road and a sewer connection in the industrial park where DAS is located. The city of Metter and Candler County are granting 10 years of property tax breaks, for which Mullins could not immediately provide a projected value. DAS could qualify for $4.5 million in state income tax credits, at $3,000 per job over five years, as long as workers make at least $31,300 a year.

DAS is just the latest company to announce that it will supply Hyundai’s $7.5 billion plant to assemble electric vehicles and batteries in Ellabell, near Savannah. The Hyundai plant, which was announced last year, could grow to 8,500 employees and is scheduled to begin producing vehicles in 2025.

Suppliers to the Hyundai plant have pledged to invest $2.2 billion and to hire nearly 5,300 people. MDT/AP