Hino Trucks announced its plan to purchase the former Cold Water Creek distribution center in Mineral Wells, W.V., and convert it into a new truck assembly plant, close to its current plant. The new plant, planned to be operational in early 2019, will also house cab assembly, an operation currently conducted in Japan. In addition to producing Hino’s current lineup of conventional trucks, the new truck assembly plant in West Virginia will produce a new line of Class 7 and 8 trucks that Hino plans to introduce in 2019.

The total investment to the new plant will be approximately $100 million, creating about 250 new jobs in early 2020 over a two-shift operation, according to Hino.

“The new plant, which is four times the size of our current plant, will allow us to combine several assembly operations under one roof which will provide significant efficiency gains,” noted Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. President Takashi Ono.

“West Virginia has enjoyed a very good relationship with Hino,” said West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. “This new plant demonstrates that Hino has confidence in our state, and West Virginia is a great place to do business. On behalf of everyone in the Mountain State, I thank Hino for their continued investment and the creation of new jobs.”