Port of Savannah, Brunswick growth helps grow Hyundai Motors partnership in Bryan County

Over the last 12 years, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia has become an important cog in the Georgia Ports Authority machine having shipped more than 350,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) through Savannah.

The activity has earned Kia a spot as one of the GPA's top-five importers. That designation is likely to grow in the future as the South Korean automaker's parent company, Hyundai Motors, sets its sights on Bryan County for a new assembly plant.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported that the state was negotiating a deal with Hyundai to build a factory on the state-owned Bryan County megasite, located along Interstate 16 off the U.S. 280 exit just over a week ago.

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Looking at the GPA growth in autos over the last several years, the 2,284-acre Bryan County site would be prime real estate for an auto manufacturer.

According to the GPA’s annual report, Roll on/Roll off (Ro/Ro) cargo grew significantly in 2021 with 668,166 units crossing all GPA docks. Ro/Ro cargo, which refers to wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks or buses.

The Port of Brunswick handled the majority of the growth, moving 650,000 units of vehicles and heavy machinery in 2021. In total Ro/Ro volume was up 11% over the previous year.

Port officials declined to comment on the announcement, which is expected Friday, but the new Bryan County manufacturing facility would join Kia’s factory in West Point, located on the Georgia-Alabama border.

The first Kia manufacturing site in North America, the facility began mass production in late 2009 and is home to the Telluride SUV, Sorento SUV, Sportage SUV and the K5 midsize sedan.

“Kia is one of our largest customers at the Port of Savannah, and a stellar example of the kind of advanced manufacturing going on across Georgia,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch in 2019 as the two organizations marked a decade of partnership.

“At Georgia Ports, we are proud to support the positive impact Kia has on the state’s economy.”

According to the AJC report, the new Bryan County facility would make electric vehicles and employ as many as 8,500 workers. The West Point facility employs more than 2,000 workers and has helped to create thousands of other jobs in the region.

Infrastructure growth

Having access to the fastest-growing and largest single container terminal in North America has made the GPA a major draw for manufacturers.

Currently more than a dozen auto-related companies are operating across the state, including Honda Precision Parts, Voestalpine Automotive, Toyo Tire North America and Rivian Inc.

Newer infrastructure projects such as the Appalachian Regional Port, which provides a direct CSX rail route from Savannah to companies in northwest Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky and the upcoming Northeast Georgia Inland Port, which will include 9,000 feet of track and direct access to Interstate 985, have made it easier than ever for companies to move cargo.

Another important factor in the growth is the Mason Mega Rail Terminal at the Port of Savannah, which became fully operational in late 2021. The terminal includes 18 tracks and increased intermodal capacity to and from the Port of Savannah by more than 30%.

The Bryan County megasite, which was purchased nearly a year ago through a partnership between the State of Georgia and the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority, will provide immediate access to interstates 16 and 95 and the Port of Savannah, which is about 28 miles away.

The site also has access to rail that runs along the property line. Upon completion of the land purchase last May, Lynch said the site was poised to be a tremendous new asset in Georgia’s economic development toolkit.

Brunswick growth

It’s not just Savannah terminals that help get autos on the road. The GPA’s Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick, located just a couple hours south, offers three modern Ro/Ro berths and an annual capacity for more than 900,000 vehicles.

The dedicated Ro/Ro facility is the second busiest port in the United States.

In March, the GPA announced plans to increase auto capacity at the Brunswick terminal with the addition of a fourth berth, 360,000 square feet of new warehousing and 85 additional acres for auto processing.

“We’re expanding berth and terminal capacity at both Colonel’s Island and Mayor’s Point so that we are ready to take on additional trade,” Lynch said in making the announcement at the Brunswick State of the Port event in March.

“The investments we are making will lay the groundwork for job growth and new opportunity in the Brunswick region.”

The additional auto storage will increase the terminal’s annual capacity from 1.2 million to 1.4 million vehicles. The plan is slated to cost upwards of $150 million with the new pavement and buildings expected to be complete in 2023.

The current expansion comes on the heels of a 40-acre Brunswick expansion in 2019, which increased the car storage area by approximately 6,000 spaces and also provided a 9-acre staging area for high and heavy equipment being loaded or unloaded from vessels.

It increased the GPA's rail capacity for autos at Brunswick, adding 14,100 feet of track to allow Brunswick to expand service in markets west of the Mississippi River and into the Midwest.

In 2019 the GPA and Kia marked another milestone as the first Telluride vehicles manufactured in West Point were exported from Brunswick.

Former Georgia Ports Authority Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood said the event marked an expanded role for the GPA in its partnership with Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, handling both imported components and the export of finished vehicles.

"Through vertical integration - parts in via Savannah, autos out via Brunswick - Kia is taking advantage of Georgia's extensive road and rail infrastructure, as well as its broader network of shipping line services," Allgood said at the time.

Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: KnussSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah, Brunswick port growth helps solidify Bryan County, Kia plant