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[Talladega Daily Home]

 Suppliers invest in brick and mortar -- finally

The dam has broken.

North American vehicle production has grown to the point where it's no longer enough for suppliers to run an extra shift to keep up with customer demand. After years of dragging their feet, companies have no choice but to build or expand factories -- and that's precisely what they're doing.

Just like automakers, suppliers are investing big sums in brick and mortar.

"Nobody anticipated the industry would come back at the rate that it did," said Danny Infusino, Martinrea International Inc.'s head of business development and engineering. The supplier is based in Vaughan, Ontario.

In April, Martinrea began constructing a plant in Riverside, Mo., to make engine cradles for General Motors' plant in Fairfax, Kan., which is 3 miles down the road.

"There is a lot of juggling going on," Infusino said. "The plants are running six or seven days a week."

 Hillshire workers flood fair

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[Times Daily]

 FCCTC offering new courses

By Kellie Singleton

May 20, 2014

As schools across the area are winding down for the school year, administrators and faculty at the Franklin County Career Technical Center are already busy preparing for some new courses that will be offered this fall.

Scott Wiginton, director of the FCCTC, said they will be making some changes that will hopefully enhance the students learning and appeal to an even wider range of students who are interested in career technical fields.

"There was a workforce interest survey sent out for Northwest Alabama that polled industries to see what they were in need of, which is a major thing we in the career technical field have to consider," Wiginton said.

"The results of that survey showed that engineering and drafting were in the top 10 responses of careers or jobs that are needed in our area.

"We want to be proactive and respond to these types of needs so that we are providing a service to our local workforce and to our students by preparing our students for careers that are needed right here close to home.