Sumitomo Electric breaks ground on $620M magnet wire plant in South Carolina
The Clemson-area plant will produce copper magnet wire for EV traction motors and underscores the deepening Japan-Southeast US industrial corridor.
Sumitomo Electric broke ground on a $620 million magnet wire plant in the Clemson, South Carolina area. The facility will produce copper magnet wire used in EV traction motors and is backed by offtake agreements with at least two global OEM customers.
The project, Sumitomo's largest single US investment to date, is expected to employ roughly 420 people at full ramp. Company executives pointed to state-level incentives and proximity to an established supplier base for motor stators as the deciding factors.
The announcement continues a wave of Japanese industrial investment in the southeastern United States, following earlier commitments in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Local officials said magnet wire had been identified as a strategic gap in the South Carolina EV supply base since 2023.
Written by
Jordan Keene
OEM programs, EV drive units, and tier-1 supply chain reporting from Detroit.
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