MINERAL SPRINGS, WV—Japanese truck maker Hino Motors Manufacturing officially opened a new assembly plant here to produce medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Spanning nearly 1 million square feet, the plant currently employs 470 people and expects to expand that to 550 by next year. At maximum capacity, the factory will be able to produce 15,000 units annually on one shift.

Moving forward, the company plans to transfer the production of truck cabs for the North American market—which is currently being done in Japan—to this plant.

“Hino is committed to building its trucks and products in the market it operates in,” says Hino CEO Yoshio Shimo. “We have committed $100 million to our U.S. operations, which includes the construction of our new West Virginia plant. Today, I am excited to announce an additional commitment of $40 million in investment to meet increased demand and product configurations and 250 additional jobs, as part of our effort to enhance the foundations that will underlie our further growth in the U.S.”

The facility will assemble class 6, 7 and 8 conventional trucks, including Hino’s newly released class 7 and 8 XL Series.

“Hino has been a tremendous partner to the state of West Virginia since 2007,” says West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. “With this additional investment and hiring, they continue to be one of the West Virginia’s biggest employers. We thank Hino for their continued investment in the great state of West Virginia.”