Just moments ago, Continental Tire the Americas made official what virtually everyone in both North and South Carolina already knew: the tiremaker’s first U.S. tire plant would land in Sumter County, S.C.

The Oct. 6 announcement was the third significant tire-related construction project announced for the state in the last two weeks. On Sept. 21, Bridgestone Americas announced some $1.1 billion projects for a new giant OTR tire plant in Aiken County, S.C., and further expansion of its consumer tire plant there.

With South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on hand, Continental AG board member and head of its tire unit Nikolai Setzer took the wraps off of the $500 million two-phase project, which will create 1,600 jobs. The first phase of production capacity at the plant in this project is expected to be nearly five million passenger and light truck tires when the plant reaches full production levels in 2017. A second phase in this announced project is expected to bring the plant’s capacity to eight million units per year by 2021.

The new greenfield plant will be located on a 330-acre site just off of U.S. Highway 521 in Sumter County.

"This important announcement is part of Continental’s growth strategy worldwide and, especially in this case, for the U.S. market," said Setzer. "Increasing demand for Continental and General brand passenger and light truck tires in the U.S., as well as the improved business results for CTA, has made this significant investment possible. On behalf of the 160,000 employees of Continental worldwide, I would like to offer our sincere thanks to Governor Haley, the state of South Carolina, the Port Authority, the city of Sumter and Sumter County."

"Continental is a world-class company, and it is truly exciting that they have chosen South Carolina for this new $500 million investment that will create nearly 1,700 new jobs. This announcement is a big win for our state," said Gov. Haley.

In addition to the new plant, CTA CEO Jochen Etzel, announced a $4 million expansion of the company’s headquarters in Ft. Mill, S.C. The investment will provide for a 16,000-square-foot addition, bringing the total size of the building to 91,000 square feet, and the creation of 80 new jobs there.

As for the tire plant, Continental expects to begin construction in mid-2012 and complete the facility in 2013. Once completed, the plant will encompass some 1 million square feet under roof.

Also on hand, serving as master of ceremonies for the announcement event, was Bobby Hitt, South Carolina’s secretary of commerce. "Today’s announcement further strengthens South Carolina’s membership in the automotive club. This is also the fourth announcement this year involving the recruitment of 500 or more jobs," said Hitt.

Code named ‘Project Soccer,’ the location of the proposed U.S. plant has been a matter of much speculation since Continental AG chairman Elmar Degenhart’s April statement that the tiremaker would build a passenger and light truck/SUV tire plant in the U.S. In May, then CTA CEO Matthias Schoenberg said the tiremaker would look south – Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama in particular.

That the plant ended up in South Carolina is a testament to Hitt and his team, who aggressively pursued the CTA project even as it was working feverishly to pull together logistics and an incentive package to land Bridgestone’s new plant and expansion effort.

Various news reports sated that North Carolina was also aggressive in its pursuit of the CTA plant, and a specific site in Brunswick County had already been secured. Some reports said the project was literally kicked back and forth between the two states “for months.”

In the end the Palmetto State pulled all the right strings, and will get its eighth tire plant since 1975 and its second in two weeks.