Hyundai Translead is raising its planned investment in new Illinois trailer manufacturing operations to $600 million and its job commitment to 3,750 full-time positions, the company announced Oct. 22 in Joliet.
The increase comes from adding a third production shift. That shift represents $150 million in planned investment and 1,250 jobs beyond the company’s original commitment, Hyundai Translead said.
The trailer maker first announced the project in March, when it said it would invest more than $450 million in two advanced manufacturing facilities in Will County and create about 2,500 full-time jobs, according to its March release.
From 2,500 Jobs to 3,750 in Seven Months
Hyundai Translead gave two reasons for the bigger plan. It said the expansion reflects “growing customer interest in the new Illinois operations” and positions the company to provide additional capacity “as the transportation industry continues its recovery.”
“Expanding our planned investment reflects our confidence in Illinois, its workforce, and the long-term growth of our U.S. operations,” said Sean Kenney, CEO of Hyundai Translead. He said the larger commitment “will create more opportunities for working families, strengthen our manufacturing capabilities, and enhance our ability to serve customers.”
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office called the announcement the “largest single Illinois job creation commitment for manufacturing in recent history.” The state said the company decided to add the third shift “in order to meet growing demand.”
The project is in Illinois’ EDGE tax incentive program. Under the EDGE agreement announced in March, Hyundai Translead committed to invest $452.5 million and create at least 2,475 new full-time jobs, the governor’s office said at the time. The October release does not list updated terms for that agreement.
What Hyundai Translead Builds
Hyundai Translead is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company. It makes dry and refrigerated van trailers, flatbeds, truck bodies and dollies, the kind of equipment used to move freight by truck across the country. The company describes itself as North America’s leading manufacturer of those products.
The company also builds trailers in Rosarito, Mexico. In March, Kenney told Transport Topics that the Illinois project had been in the works for about three years, driven by logistics constraints and capacity limits at the Rosarito plant, and that operations there will continue. He told the trade paper that during 2022 and 2023 the company had to turn some customers away.
The Illinois plants are meant to add U.S. production capacity close to the fleets that buy the trailers.
Two Former Industrial Sites on the Des Plaines River
The two sites span 52 acres along the Des Plaines River. One is the former site of heavy-equipment operations. The other is a former electric bus plant, according to the company and the state.
Kenney told Transport Topics the company looked at building new plants from the ground up but chose existing sites so it would not miss the market window. Plans call for fabrication, welding, subassemblies, aftermarket operations and warehousing at one site, with final assembly at a nearby facility, the outlet reported.
Why Will County
Hyundai Translead chose Will County to be close to customers and national freight networks. Kenney told Transport Topics that more than 500 customer locations are within 100 miles of the planned plants. He pointed to rail connections, the CenterPoint Intermodal Center and the meeting of Interstates 55 and 80, and said building close to customers cuts the cost of hauling empty trailers long distances.
The company’s March release said the new sites would reduce landed costs and lead times for customers and strengthen supplier access in the region.
What a Third Shift Means
The added jobs and investment come from a third production shift at the same two facilities, not a third site. Hyundai Translead said the two plants will support its core operations while leaving room for additional product lines and future expansion.
To help fill the jobs, the state is funding a new Manufacturing Training Academy at Joliet Junior College. The governor’s office said it will expand training for industrial maintenance and advanced manufacturing technicians and double the college’s welding capacity.
Timeline
In March, Kenney told Transport Topics that construction was expected to begin early in the third quarter of 2026, with the first production lines starting in the second quarter of 2027 and full operations later in 2027. The Oct. 22 announcements did not give an updated schedule.
What It Means for Trailer Buyers and Suppliers
For fleets, the project means more trailers built in the U.S., near Midwest freight lanes, as the company prepares for the freight recovery it is counting on. For parts and materials suppliers, it means a large new trailer customer in the Chicago area. Trailer plants typically buy steel, axles, wheels and tires, and, for refrigerated vans, refrigeration units.
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