June 7, 2023 Tennessee Strengthens Automotive Footprint

A new facility further strengthens Tennessee’s hold as the current epicenter of automotive manufacturing and battery development.

Clarksville, Tenn. – JE Dunn, Middle Tennessee’s largest general contractor, and Dongwha Electrolyte, the world’s leading manufacturer of electrolyte, broke ground on a brand new 35,000 square-foot production facility in Clarksville, Tennessee, today. Located northeast of the city, the new facility will produce electrolyte material, a vital chemical that allows an electrical charge to pass between two terminals inside a lithium-ion battery. The groundbreaking ceremony included executives from JE Dunn and Dongwha Electrolyte, along with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, members of Clarksville’s local government and economic and community development board members.

“We are excited to invest in Montgomery County for Dongwha Electrolyte’s first manufacturing facility in the United States,” said SooHaeng Lee, Head of Operation for Dongwha Electrolyte SA. “This facility will be key in better positioning our company to serve electric vehicle battery manufacturers in the area and position us for future growth.”

Headquartered in South Korea, Dongwha Electrolyte selected a 40-acre site at 4400 Guthrie Highway to build the $70 million plant. The Clarksville site was chosen to better position Dongwha Electrolyte to serve electric vehicle lithium battery producers across the southeastern United States. When complete, the facility will be Dongwha Electrolyte’s first manufacturing plant in North America and the company’s fifth overall, extending their global footprint. The new facility will create 68 jobs in the Clarksville market.

“This new Dongwha Electrolyte facility represents a watershed moment for Clarksville and the broader region,” said Erik Magsamen, Vice President, JE Dunn. “The state of Tennessee has quickly become a hot bed for the next wave of automotive innovation and Dongwha’s investment and belief in the local community is a tremendous example of this. The JE Dunn team is honored to play a part in the electrification of the automotive industry and continue to build upon the state’s reputation in industrial manufacturing.”

The electrolyte production facility is slated to be finished in July 2024. Design Innovation Architects, Bennett & Pless, and I.C. Thomasson Associates will be joining JE Dunn on the project.

JE Dunn Construction, founded in 1924, is the 8th largest domestic general building contractor in the United States with offices in 26 locations. Our vision is to be an indispensable business partner for our clients by first understanding their purpose, goals, and customers and then delivering transformational solutions with certainty of results. We maintain a commitment to our clients and their building goals while being true to our guiding principles — the philosophy of our business operation which is both family and employee-owned. JE Dunn’s purpose is to enrich lives through inspired people and places. www.jedunn.com

Dongwha Electrolyte USA Inc. is a subsidiary of South Korean-based Dongwha Enterprise Co., Ltd. The company specializes in the production of high-performance and high-stability electrolytes used in lithium batteries by battery-related companies around the globe.

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