Gaffney Freightliner employees won’t be affected by new plant

CHARLESTON (AP) — DaimlerChrysler AG plans to open a new plant in the Lowcountry as it shifts where it assembles its Sprinter vans in the U.S.

On Sunday, the Commerce Department announced that Gov. Mark Sanford and state Commerce Secretary Bob Faith would be on hand for an economic development announcement at the Trident Research Center Atrium in North Charleston. Commerce Department spokeswoman Karen Owens confirmed for The Associated Press Sunday that the announcement involved the Sprinter facility.

The Sprinters sold in the United States and Canada are imported in pieces to South Carolina and reassembled in Gaffney, but that site is running at full capacity.

The workers at the Gaffney plant won’t lose their jobs when van assembly moves to the Lowcountry.