AUBURN, AL — Shinhwa Auto USA Corporation announced a $37 million expansion to add advanced tooling capabilities and vertical integration to its casting and machining operations in Alabama.
Shinhwa acquired SAPP S.p.A., an Italian toolmaker with deep expertise in precision die casting engineering, in October 2025. Shinhwa's latest investment in the Yellowhammer State will fold SAPP into Shinhwa’s Auburn operations, creating some 20 skilled engineering and technical positions.
Shinhwa has been in the aluminum die-cast automotive parts business since 1995, and set up shop in Auburn in 2020. The part maker has expanded multiple times in Alabama, developing capabilities in high-pressure and variable-pressure aluminum casting, automated machining and system component assembly.
"Leveraging SAPP’s advanced engineering knowledge will further enhance our technical capabilities as manufacturer of complex and integrated aluminum car systems and will enhance our capabilities to service our customers quickly and efficiently," said Kwi Hyun Lee, chairman of Shinhwa Group, the auto part maker's South Korean parent company.
The tooling operation will be housed in a separate facility in Auburn Technology Park West. The location will enable the division to serve both Shinhwa's internal manufacturing needs and external customers requiring engineering and maintenance services for high-pressure die-casting tooling.
