SENECA — Honestly, there isn’t a lot in the automotive supply business to be thankful for these days.

But, the folks at Borg-Warner in Seneca are an exception and they know it. That’s why, this week, they paused to thank the folks at AdvanceSC, a limited liability company, formed by Duke Energy in 2004 to assist with job retention and creation across Duke’s service area.

The buzz at Borg-Warner these days has, quite literally, been made possible in part by a $400,000 grant from AdvanceSC. Representatives of the organization were on hand to see the handiwork of their grant, namely some 200 machine modules, turning out millions of additional dollars of automotive production at the Seneca plant.

Borg-Warner Plant Manager Todd Bennington explained that the AdvanceSC money was used to relocate a production line from Muncie, Ind., and to update capabilities of the Seneca plant for both the production and assembly of nine new products involving16 different automotive models.

It was a key component to a massive expansion of the Seneca plant that has resulted in the retention of 150 jobs that had been targeted for Mexico as well as 50 new jobs.

More new positions may develop as the economy recovers.

Borg-Warner is now producing the transmission cases for the industry leading Ford F150 line of trucks, as well as the Ford Explorer and Expedition, the Mercury Mountaineer and the Lincoln Navigator. A second new line is turning out product for GM including two Hummer lines, the 610 series and the Savannah, Sierra and Denali models.

Bennington said convincing Borg-Warner to expand the Seneca plant rather than move the jobs to Mexico would not have been possible without the help of state and county officials, as well as AdvanceSC.

“We had the infrastructure in place and we got the incentives we need,” Bennington said. “We had outstanding support from the state.”

Borg-Warner added 63,000 square feet of operating space, and Bennington was giving local contractor Sam Thrift credit for completing the work in just five months. “It was amazing,” he said of the construction, noting that machines were being moved in the building as soon as the roof was on and before the sidewalls were in place.

AdvanceSC is funded with profits from Duke’s off-system sales and seeks to provide public assistance to Duke electric customers, as well as advance job retention, new industry and job training and retraining.

brett@dailyjm.com | (864) 973-6690