GAFFNEY, S.C. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced on Wednesday the investment of $22.7 million in Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) to expand facilities and improve operations in South Carolina.

The facilities undergoing the expansion are the manufacturing location for the chassis used for the Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus.

The investment will positively impact a number of key business operations for FCCC, including the construction of a new logistics center, as well as expansions of the current office building, employee parking lot, completed chassis parking, and loading and delivery operations.

In addition, the investment will drive implementation of a new line side delivery process which will utilize nearly 60% more component kitting.

“The investment shows our commitment to the employees in Gaffney, our customers and to the future of FCCC,” said David Carson, president of Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. “We will continue to build the best chassis with the best features and customer support, and this investment will ensure we are well positioned for future growth. I’d like to thank the officials from the state of South Carolina and Cherokee County for their help in making this project possible.”

In addition to the logistical and process improvements, the investment will provide an expansion to the current office building, which will provide a 25% increase in personal work stations, increase the training room capacity from 25 to 100, double the amount of available team work space and increase the cafeteria capacity from 15 to 119.

“The leadership team at DTNA wants to ensure we have the tools and facilities we need to continue delivering the best chassis for all of our customers across all of our product lines,” Carson added.