7 August 2026
GADSDEN, Ala. Minth Group broke ground Monday, Aug. 3, on a $430 million automotive parts campus at the former Republic Steel and Gulf States Steel property in Gadsden. Company and city officials say the project will bring more than 1,300 jobs, with hiring expected to begin within three to four months and production starting in 2027.
The ceremony took place on roughly 400 acres along the Coosa River that have sat largely empty since the steel mill closed in 2000. When the campus is finished, Minth says it will be the company’s largest site anywhere in the world by land area.
Who is Minth Group?
Minth Group Limited is an automotive supplier that makes trim and structural parts for carmakers. News reports describe the company as Taiwan based, with 78 plants worldwide at the time the Gadsden project was announced in March 2026. Its American arm, Minth North America Inc., is headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, and also runs operations in Michigan and Tennessee.
Minth CEO Esther Chin said at the ceremony that the company started as a family business and now ranks among the top 100 auto suppliers in the world. She said the Gadsden campus is the largest land footprint the company has anywhere.
Company founder Chin Jong Hwa attended the groundbreaking, along with Mayor Craig Ford, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, Minth North America Managing Director Jeremy Coulter and David Hooks, executive director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority.
How many jobs will the plant create, and when can people apply?
Officials project more than 1,300 jobs, and city figures put the eventual ceiling at about 1,325 positions as the campus scales up. The city has said average annual wages should top $49,000.
Hiring is expected to open roughly three to four months after the August groundbreaking. Minth has not published an application page or a firm start date for hiring, and GadsdenThrive is seeking that timeline directly from the company and the IDA.
City officials also say the project carries a $1.3 million benefit for the Gadsden school system.
What will the Gadsden plant make?
The campus will produce plastic and aluminum parts for vehicles. Those parts are expected to supply automakers’ plants in the region, including Hyundai in Montgomery and Kia in West Point, Georgia.
Greer Building Contractors, a Gadsden firm, has been selected to build the facility. Reports at the time of the groundbreaking said crews were mobilizing within weeks. Under the terms described publicly, the company is working toward supplying parts by the spring of 2027.
Why does the old steel site matter to Gadsden?
The property was the center of Gadsden’s steelmaking economy for decades. When Gulf States Steel closed in 2000, the loss rippled through the county for years, and the site became a symbol of what the city had lost.
Ruth Moffatt, a former plant worker who attended the ceremony, told WBRC that the day meant a great deal to families who had watched local plants close and had to relocate for work.
Coulter, who is from Flint, Michigan, drew a comparison to his own hometown and what happened there when the auto industry pulled back.
Ford tied the project to other work underway in the city, including riverfront development and the Gadsden Athletic Center, and called Minth a cornerstone for jobs and industry. Hooks said the investment should act as a catalyst for growth across Gadsden, Etowah County and northeast Alabama.
What happens next at the site?
Work now shifts to site preparation and the first phase of construction. A sign renaming the stretch of South 26th Street in Alabama City that leads into the property as Minth Boulevard is expected to go up soon.
Five businesses already operating on the former steel mill property will continue to operate there, according to the city.
Frequently asked questions
When did Minth break ground in Gadsden?
Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, at the former Republic Steel and Gulf States Steel site.
How much is Minth investing?
$430 million.
How many jobs will it bring?
More than 1,300, with city figures pointing to as many as 1,325 as the campus grows.
When does hiring start?
Roughly three to four months after the groundbreaking, based on statements at the ceremony. No application page has been posted yet.
When will the plant start production?
2027.
Who is building it?
Greer Building Contractors of Gadsden.
More Gadsden business coverage
- Rural King now open at Gadsden’s Midtown Shopping Center
- Burlington hiring continues in Gadsden ahead of Sept. 4 store opening
- Contractors post low bids for US 431 safety work and South 11th Street rebuild
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