Scout Motors installs final steel beam for Production Center in Blythewood
February 9, 2025
Ceremony marks another milestone for the company’s $2 billion investment in South Carolina
This week, Scout Motors celebrated another milestone, as the company’s construction team installed the final steel support beam for the main buildings of its Production Center in Blythewood.
This final steel beam was installed in the Body Shop on the south end of the site. For that building alone, more than 14,000 steel trusses were used on around 350,000 square feet of concrete foundations.
In total, the main buildings at the Production Center require more than 44,000 tons of steel – roughly equivalent to the weight of six Eiffel Towers.
The first steel beams on the site were erected in May 2024. The buildings will be enclosed over the next few months and weatherized by the end of the year so that internal equipment installation can begin.
Scout Motors is investing more than $2 billion in South Carolina to launch the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, which will create more than 4,000 jobs in the state and produce up to 200,000 vehicles per year at peak capacity. Initial production is targeted to begin in 2027.
On Monday, Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh spoke at the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new Scout Motors Drive Interchange on I-77, along with Gov. Henry McMaster, SCDOT Secretary Justin Powell, Richland County Council Chair Jesica Mackey and Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin.
The company unveiled its first two concept vehicles – the Scout® Traveler™ SUV and Scout® Terra™ truck – in October 2024 and brought them to South Carolina in November for a Gamecocks football game, where they were displayed to the public outside Williams-Brice Stadium and on the field at halftime.
About Scout Motors
The Scout, originally produced by International Harvester from 1961-80, was the world’s first utility vehicle capable of both off-road adventure and family duty. It was the 8-day-a-week truck. The Scout brand is now an American icon whose heritage is kept alive by a dedicated community of doers who continue to push their vehicles on the farm, in the wilderness, and on family outings.
Scout Motors was formed to craft the next era of trucks and rugged SUVs rooted in the same tradition that made the original Scout vehicle an American icon. Scout Motors is revitalizing a legend and returning manufacturing to American shores.
Initial production is targeted to begin at the Scout Motors Production Center near Columbia, South Carolina, in 2027.
To learn more, visit www.scoutmotors.com and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
