Mississippi-based machine manufacturer Taylor Group has announced a strategic merger with the Royal Terberg Group to create a specialty vehicle manufacturing facility in Lowndes County. The new facility, which is expected to be a $15.9 million investment, will bring around 90 jobs to the area.
Terberg Group is a 150-year-old company from the Netherlands that operates in 12 different countries and focuses on specialized vehicle manufacturing. The company was looking to expand to have a presence in the United States but did not want to do so without a partner.
In a recent interview on MidDays With Gerard Gibert, Robert Taylor, President and CEO of Taylor Group, discussed how the global partnership began with the Terberg Group.
“We became a distributor for them for this product called a ‘terminal tractor’ or a ‘yard jockey,’ a lot of people say that, and fell in love with the product and saw what kind of quality it was, and thought it was kind of the ‘Taylor’ of terminal products,” Taylor said. “They wanted to have a presence in the U.S., and so we began discussions a year and a half or so ago about doing something together in the U.S. They didn’t want to come alone. They wanted to come with a partner and they had respect for Taylor and what Taylor means in the U.S. and North America.”
Although the foreign company had initially looked to put the manufacturing plant in other locations across the country, Mississippians such as Taylor and Golden Triangle Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins helped convince Terberg Group to build the facility near Taylor Group’s headquarters in Louisville.
Taylor also boasted that East Mississippi Community College’s Workforce Services Division, also known as the Communiversity, was a major selling point for Mississippi to be a host location for a terminal tractor manufacturing plant.
“Truthfully, this Communiversity was kind of the icing on the cake. When we brought those guys from the Netherlands here and walked them through what the capabilities are, they were absolutely astounded at what the state has done and what is available to employers and businesses around the state,” Taylor said.
The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for site preparation and infrastructure needs. Lowndes County is also assisting with the project. The first terminal tractor is expected to be built in the third quarter of 2023.
Governor Tate Reeves weighed in on the merger.
“The Taylor Group of Companies and Royal Terberg Group global partnership is a testament to the strength and success of Mississippi-rooted companies. Mississippi is a prime location for global partnerships. With the state’s low cost of doing business and market access with our ports and highways, transport of products – domestic and international – happens with ease,” Reeves stated.
Watch the full interview with Robert Taylor below.
