JST Corp. is a Japanese company that makes electronic connectors found in nearly every industry, from the automotive and medical markets to robotics, gaming and even amusement. The company’s plant in Guntersville made every cable assembly used in the Las Vegas Sphere.
This week, JST announced a new project, a $500 million expansion effort in North Alabama. The move will create 80 new jobs and add 540,000 square feet of space. The component maker is familiar with expansion projects—it now has more than 70 facilities in 17 countries—but in some cases, it has particular design aspirations.
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For example, renderings of JST’s project in Guntersville are striking—the factory looks like rolling hills with a few loading docks. The connector maker wants the new site to incorporate a “natural setting” on the 240-acre property at Conners Island Business Park. More of a peninsula, Conners Island is about 40 minutes southeast of Huntsville.
JST said the location is strategic, given its proximity to Alabama’s auto manufacturing industry. However, Kevin Lauret, plant manager for the new facility, said the type of property also played a key role.
The company’s development philosophy is heavily influenced by Japanese beliefs that view land and nature as sacred. The architectural design is meant to reflect and protect the natural setting adjacent to Lake Guntersville.
JST’s architectural partner, Ryuchi Ashizawa of Osaka, is known for combining facility design with the preservation of natural resources. Ashizawa won an international design award for the JST engineering center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He also designed JST’s new engineering hub in Michigan. Currently in the final phase of construction, the Detroit Engineering Center in Farmington Hills has been called the most sustainable construction project in Michigan and includes, among other things, a giant treehouse known as “The Musical Tree Nest.”
Bob Smith, assistant director of business development at the Alabama Department of Commerce, called the project an unusual and unconventional building. “[JST] is an advocate of preserving habitat, restoring native species, and making the facility an employee-friendly experience,” he said. “There is a history with these types of facilities within the company, and the designs have won worldwide architectural awards.”
JST has operated a small facility in Guntersville since 2003 and currently has 25 full-time employees. No word on when construction is scheduled to begin in Alabama or on other building details.
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