Hyundai Translead plans to invest $450 million to establish new trailer manufacturing facilities in Will County, expanding its U.S. production footprint and creating nearly 2,500 new jobs. The investment will support new industrial manufacturing space dedicated to trailer production, aligning with the company’s strategy to grow its presence in the North American market.
The planned facilities will be located on the former sites of Caterpillar’s heavy equipment operations and Lion Electric’s operation in Will County. By reactivating these previously occupied industrial sites, Hyundai Translead is positioning its new plants within an established manufacturing corridor while putting dormant properties back into active use.
Hyundai Translead operates as a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, the global automotive manufacturer headquartered in South Korea. The new Will County operations are intended to build on Hyundai’s broader industrial and logistics capabilities, leveraging the company’s manufacturing expertise to support expanded trailer production capacity.
Illinois EDC president and CEO Christy George described the project as a transformative investment that will generate thousands of good-paying jobs and new opportunities in the region. The initiative is framed as an extension of the area’s industrial legacy, following the longstanding presence of major manufacturers such as Caterpillar and the more recent operations of Lion Electric on the same sites.
Illinois EDC led the effort to bring Hyundai Translead’s expansion to Will County, coordinating closely with multiple public-sector and economic development partners. The organization worked with the State of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Will County Center for Economic Development, and the City of Joliet to advance the project and align state and local support.
State and regional officials have been focused on attracting large-scale manufacturing investments, and Hyundai Translead’s commitment joins a roster of recent industrial announcements in Illinois. According to Illinois EDC, the state has also secured major manufacturing investments from Tangent Technologies, Japanese manufacturer DMG MORI, and CSL. Together, these initiatives underscore an ongoing push to grow the state’s advanced manufacturing base and reinforce Will County and the broader region as a hub for industrial activity.
Specific details on project phasing, construction timelines, and facility specifications were not disclosed, but the scale of Hyundai Translead’s planned capital outlay and job creation indicates a significant industrial development initiative for Will County and the Joliet area.
