KIA construction in West Point on schedule despite recent rains

Construction on the Kia plant site in West Point, Ga., is moving forward as scheduled despite recent wet weather.

Kia had scheduled the rain days into its plans before construction began, so work was unaffected, Randy Jackson, human resources director at Kia, said Thursday.

The project is set to finish in 2009. The site is as large as 1,625 football fields without the end zones.

About 350 people are currently working on the construction site, Jackson said.

“We want you to get a feel for how big it is,” Jackson told reporters touring the site. “It will be a little city some day.”

Steel beams are already visible for the assembly and welding plants. The painting and stamping plants are not yet visible.

Foundation work and underground infrastructure take longer to construct than people might think, Jackson said.

A lot of time on construction sites is spent laying water lines and wires underground and stabilizing the soil, he said.

All steelwork on site should be finished by the end of March, Jackson said. The next phase will be siding and roofing. Then equipment will be installed.

Kia will be a major employer when completed. More than 43,000 applied online for jobs by the Feb. 7 application cutoff. The company will eventually employ about 2,500 people at the West Point plant. The company will begin calling qualified applicants in March.

Kia will also set up a simulation center where potential employees can simulate the jobs they would do at the plant.

Employees can see if they like the work, and the company can see how they do, said Jackson.

In addition to Kia’s employees, suppliers will hire approximately 3,000 new employees.

“We feel comfortable that the work force will come together,” Jackson said.

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