$43 Million New Daimler Truck And Training Facilities To Be Built In Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a press statement released on Friday, Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) said they had selected Portland over two other possible sites to build their new electric truck engineering facility at a cost of $40 million. The building will be erected at Daimler’s Swan Island HQ in Portland where a training facility will also be built at a further cost of $3 million.

DTNA’s investment comes with the promise of new jobs in Portland with grants from the city and an undertaking from the City Council to deal with homelessness and other issues in the area.

Oregon Jobs And Other Benefits Flow From Massive Corporate Investments

When it discussed the project with Portland City Council, Daimler described the project as one that would add 150 “high-wage” jobs. DTNA already employs around 3,000 in the Portland area.

This comes amidst other corporate investments in Oregon including:

• Amazon’s Massive New Woodburn Warehouse
• Intel Hillsboro’s Ascendency In Chip Making Industry
• Asante’s New $455 Million Pavilion at RRMC

When Daimler was choosing between Portland and two unnamed sites for the project, it didn’t indicate its reasons for choosing Portland. They had requested a waiver from the City Council that would allow it to receive tax breaks but excluded the standard hiring requirements. The waiver was granted by the council which also gave assurances that Portland would address the homeless camps and perceived threats to employee safety near Daimler’s Swan Island headquarters on the Willamette River.

Carmen Rubio, Portland’s Commissioner, confirmed in a statement that Daimler is an anchor employer in Portland and said, “The announcement is a proud moment for all involved.”

Daimler Electric Vehicle Engineering And Training Facilities In Portland

The CEO of DTNA, John O’Leary, thanked the city and state for their support while Portland leaders also welcomed the news. DTNA’s 110,000-square-foot engineering facility will blend multiple research projects in one location, including hydrogen-fueled and battery-electric vehicles. It said a $700,000 state grant was received for the project, but this will have to be repaid if it doesn’t reach defined economic targets.

A further $1.5 million grant was given to Daimler by the Portland City Council for the training facility, but this is subject to conditions that include that the company must:

• Complete 10,000 hours of training at the site.
• Host a dozen nonprofit or school tours or classes.
• Attract two industry events to Portland.

The company indicated that it would be seeking property tax exemptions through the city’s enterprise zone program for the new project.

A German company, Daimler set down its roots in Oregon through truckmaker Consolidated Freightways which was established in the 1940s. Buying the company’s Freightliner trucking business in 1981, Daimler has been producing heavy-duty trucks from the facility since then. The new investment may see Daimler in Portland for at least another 80 years.