By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Plans for a new electric vehicle parts manufacturing facility in Ohio just announced by global motion technology firm Schaeffler AG could generate carloads for R. J. Corman Railroad Group starting next year.
Schaeffler expects to build a $230 million manufacturing facility in Dover, Ohio, to produce automotive electric mobility solutions. The company is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and maintains a U.S. base in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-2024, with completion anticipated in third-quarter 2025. The project’s first phase calls for developing a 130,000-square-foot, high-tech manufacturing facility to produce axles for light- and medium-duty electric vehicles.
As part of an agreement with the state of Ohio and JobsOhio, Schaeffler will receive incentives via grants and tax credits projected to lead to growth at the new Dover plant as well as the company’s nearby facility in Wooster, Ohio.
The Wooster plant produces transmission systems and serves as an innovation hub for automotive electric mobility. Schaeffler recently expanded it to nearly 90,000 square feet to produce electric motors and components for electric powertrain systems.
The Dover facility will incorporate eco-friendly practices and highly modern equipment, Schaeffler officials say.
Schaeffler currently operates 15 plants in the United States, including a nearby manufacturing facility in Wooster, Ohio. Schaeffler AG“Our new Dover facility will feature state-of-the-art production processes so we can better serve our customers, while also adopting sustainable practices as we continue to pioneer motion,” said Schaeffler Americas CEO Marc McGrath in a press release.
The plant will be situated near major automotive original equipment manufacturers, strategic suppliers and highways. The Dover facility also will be constructed near a rail line operated by R. J. Corman Cleveland Line (RJCL).
The 69-mile short line maintains a yard in Dover and serves shippers in Wooster, Massilion, Midvale and New Philadelphia, Ohio. Launched in 1988, RJCL interchanges with CSX in Warwick, Norfolk Southern Railway in Massilion and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. in Brewster.
Currently, there is no direct connection from RJCL to the project site, R. J. Corman Railroad Group officials said in an email. But the railroad intends to work with Schaeffler on establishing its rail infrastructure in the future, they added.
The Schaeffler plant will add a new commodity to the short line's traffic mix.
“The RJCL does not serve other auto plants at the moment,” Corman officials said. “The R. J. Corman group of companies does provide various services to auto plants, facilities and manufacturers.”
Schaeffler currently operates 15 U.S. plants, with manufacturing facilities in Connecticut, Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina. The United States represents a strategic growth market for the company, Schaeffler officials say.
“We are convinced that the trend towards more electrification will continue,” said Schaeffler AG CEO Klaus Rosenfeld. “At the same time, Schaeffler is ideally positioned to benefit from its technological leadership in hybrid and fuel-efficient technologies, in particular in the U.S.”
