Charlotte manufacturing company announces $16 million expansion, will add 680 jobs

Bryce Airgood, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
A Shyft Blue Arc™ Class 3 all-electric delivery vehicle. The Shyft Group announced Feb. 7, 2023, that it will invest $16 million in Charlotte to manufacture these types of vehicles.
A Shyft Blue Arc™ Class 3 all-electric delivery vehicle. The Shyft Group announced Feb. 7, 2023, that it will invest $16 million in Charlotte to manufacture these types of vehicles.

CHARLOTTE — The Shyft Group, a specialty truck manufacturing company, has announced it will invest $16 million to expand its operations here, creating 680 manufacturing jobs in the process.

The facility expansion, improvements and new equipment will enable the company to produce up to 3,000 Blue Arc™ EV Solutions brand electric vehicles per year, according to a Lansing Economic Area Partnership press release.

“That Charlotte will be home to this important commercial segment of the electric vehicle market is fantastic news,” Mayor Michael Armitage said in the release. “The Shyft Group has been a vital part of the city's business community for many, many years and we are proud to continue partnering with their growing company.

The Shyft Group, formerly Spartan Motors, began in Charlotte in 1975. The company manufactures specialty vehicles, vehicle accessories and assembly. Clients include large multinational corporations, and The Shyft Group has facilities around the United States and in Mexico. It currently employs 1,225 Michiganders, according to a Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office press release.

The Charlotte campus has seven facilities and is home to multiple Shyft product lines, including walk-in delivery vans, motorhome chassis and work truck chassis.

The expansion is supported by co-investment and business incentives from the city, LEAP, and Michigan Economic Development Corp.

This support includes an $800,000 performance-based grant from the Jobs Ready Michigan Program to assist with recruitment and training. The Shyft Group plans to work closely with Capital Area Michigan Works! to identify and recruit talent, according to Whitmer’s press release.

Michigan was chosen for the project over competing sites in Indiana and Pennsylvania.

Along with strengthening the region's EV competitiveness, The Shyft Group expansion will attract new people, families and economic activity to the region, according to LEAP’s press release.

"We're extremely proud to invest in EV production here in our home state of Michigan, where our company has been headquartered for nearly 50 years," The Shyft Group President and CEO Daryl Adams said. "We are thankful to be part of the Charlotte community and look forward to bringing the future of fleets to our operations there."

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Charlotte company announces $16M expansion, adding 680 jobs