BeijingWest Industries (BWI) broke ground for its first manufacturing facility in the US in Greenfield, Indiana on Wednesday.

BWI will invest more than $80 million to build and equip the 274,369-square-foot manufacturing facility and create about 450 jobs in the years to come.

"Your commitment to create over 400 high-wage jobs and invest over $80 million is appreciated," said Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb.

"This is a sweet day," he said. "We're so pound of the partnership that is going to evolve over time. We have a strong foundation already, but as we watch the dreams realized by BWI, and the folks that are going to work here this is not just a groundbreaking. This is really opening up our opportunity."

BWI, a premier chassis supplier that designs and manufactures brake and suspension systems for the global automotive market, has more than 31 customers around the world, including Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Porsche.

"BWI will fully take advantage of the location in the crossroads of the US, with wider vision, better products and services, firmer determination and confidence, to develop this plant to be an advanced enterprise which could get the trust from shareholders, meet the customers' expectations and (with the efforts) from employees, create a greater contribution to BWI and Greenfield and the state of Indiana," said Yunan Jiang, chairman of BWI.

The BWI Greenfield facility will begin operating in August 2019 and is expected to produce 4 million parts per year by 2021.

"BWI will develop the Indiana plant to be a benchmark operation (with) advanced management concepts, excellent product quality, customer service, and outstanding competitiveness and profitability, and create more value to the society stabilization of Indiana and the economic development between China and the US," said Qing Han, deputy general manager of Shougang Corp, which owns 51 percent of BWI.

"We look forward to our parternership's growth and what it means for our city, county and the state of Indiana," said Chuck Fewell, mayor of Greenfield.

The Midwestern state is home to 14 Chinese-owned business establishments.

"We'll continue working on nurturing and growing our relationship with China," the governor said.

BWI, a joint venture of Shougang Corp and Beijing Fangshan State-Owned Asset Management, was formed in 2009 when the company bought the brake and suspension business of Delphi Automotive, which was once part of General Motors.

With more than 1 million cars assembled in Indiana each year, the state is home to the second-largest automotive industry in the US by GDP, providing BWI close proximity to a major market.

leshuodong@chinadailyusa.com