Xinhua| By: Guo Shuang | October 07, 2017:
“I think the only problem we’re going to have is that I don’t know if we have enough people for all the jobs that are being created,” U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday in an event celebrating the opening of Chinese automaker BYD’s expanded facility in the U.S. city of Lancaster in southern California.
The BYD — the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles — literally stands for Build Your Dreams. It unveils here on Friday its expanded battery-electric bus manufacturing facility, North America’s largest of its kind.
The grand opening celebration drew nearly a dozen elected U.S. officials and government representatives, all extolling the significance of a Chinese investment that creates more and more jobs.
This expansion is an addition of a new wing to the current BYD Coach and Bus space, bringing the total manufacturing facility to nearly 42,000 square meters (450,000 square ft), quadrupling the size of its facility from its initial 2013 footprint, according to the company.
The growth of BYD Coach and Bus reflects a rapid transition toward electric transportation and will allow the BYD to build up to 1,500 battery-electric buses annually.
“The expanded BYD Coach and Bus manufacturing facility represents a fact I have stated for many years: that policies that address climate change and building a strong economy are not mutually exclusive,” said California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon.
Over the past several years, people in Southern California have seen a lot of manufacturing jobs go away, as American companies have moved their production lines to China and other developing countries.
However, since the BYD established its U.S. electric bus manufacturing capabilities in Los Angeles County, the company has already created nearly 800 full-time jobs throughout the state. And the manufacturing facility expansion will enable the BYD to hire up to 1,200 full-time workers at top production-line capacity.
“BYD is a company that has brought good paying manufacturing jobs back to California while other companies are choosing to export those jobs to other states and countries,”said U.S. Congressman Steve Knight.
“We need more companies like BYD in California that are training and building up a workforce of skilled individuals that are prepared for the manufacturing jobs of the future. We are lucky to have them in our community!”
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