BACK TO HOME
How Navistar found a home in San Antonio
With support from the region, the leading manufacturer can build trucks and a dependable workforce.
When Navistar needed to build a new manufacturing facility, its leadership searched around the country, but nowhere was a better fit than San Antonio. The leading maker of International® commercial trucks and IC Bus® school and commercial buses ultimately chose to invest more than $250 million to build in Texas, making it the nation’s first truck manufacturing facility built in 30 years.
“Many sites across the U.S. were explored, and Texas was the right choice,” says Danilo Rocha, senior vice president of production at Navistar. “Ultimately, San Antonio provided the right mix of a skilled and growing workforce, regional support, and a cultural fit with Navistar that has and continues to support our enterprise-wide strategy for growth and innovation.”
Within one year of the decision, Navistar invested further in the San Antonio region to establish its Advanced Technology Center with a truck validation center, truck specialty center, and support for the company’s nearby manufacturing plant. The second operation houses a state-of-the-art truck validation center to test and validate components of the company’s growing electric truck business, and the truck specialty center provides post-production customization of vehicles to support customers’ business needs.
Navistar officially opened the advanced technology center mid-2021 and the manufacturing facility in the spring of 2022. Today, the 900,000-square-foot plant is producing Class 6-8 vehicles, including new electric-powered trucks. As of 2024, it brought 1,000 new jobs to the San Antonio region.
For businesses such as Navistar that are exploring new growth markets, Texas provides a business climate that supports manufacturing innovation. The San Antonio region’s economic development partnership, greater:SATX, which includes the state of Texas, Bexar County, and the city of San Antonio, is key to this support. The initiative helped recruit Navistar to San Antonio and is committed to ensuring the success of companies in the area.
“Among the many assets of our San Antonio region, we are a place that doesn’t just talk about collaboration but embodies it,” says Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of greater:SATX. “San Antonio can be characterized best by our economic momentum and commitment to collaboration for shared success.”
One of the many ways the city supports business is by investing in proactive workforce development strategies to grow, attract, and retain a talented workforce.
BACK TO HOME
Note: This article was supplied by greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership and Navistar®.
Workforce development
When Navistar came to the region, its leadership committed to hiring more than 650 individuals for its San Antonio manufacturing facility and Advanced Technology Center. To date, the company employs more than 1,250 San Antonians. Still, the company continues to invest in growing a strong workforce in the region, partnering with local organizations to support workforce development.
San Antonio Ready to Work, San Antonio’s unprecedented voter-approved $110 million tuition assistance program, is helping residents overcome financial barriers to reskill and upskill for in-demand careers. Navistar has joined hundreds of pledged employers supporting the program and hiring directly from local training providers.
Navistar has also partnered with greater:SATX to support elevating awareness and perceptions of manufacturing careers in San Antonio through the organization’s manufacturing careers marketing campaign. Targeting youth, dislocated workers, and workers ready to upskill, the marketing campaign has helped bring greater awareness to the vast and well-paying opportunities that are available for starting a career in manufacturing.
A greater future in San Antonio
San Antonio is more than a city; it’s a community. It has embraced Navistar, as well as the many companies that have come before it, and it will do the same for those still to come. This supportive environment is why Navistar is optimistic that its decision to expand in San Antonio will lead to an even greater future for the company as it works to create sustainable solutions and revolutionize the movement of goods and people.
© 2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Ad Choices FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions.
Opinions and claims from sponsors of The Texas Draw are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Office of the Texas Governor. Inclusion within The Texas Draw does not imply endorsement by the Office of the Texas Governor.
BACK TO HOME
