In November 2024, Ogeechee Technical College President Lori Durden said the Georgia Training Center for Industrial Operations would not be just another addition to the college’s campus when it opens in the fall of 2026. 

“Today, we celebrate more than just a new building,” she said at the facility’s groundbreaking at the corner of A.J. Riggs Road and Highway 301 South. “Today, we celebrate a gateway to advancement for individuals and a catalyst for growth for our community. This center will play a crucial role in preparing a skilled workforce that can compete and excel in today's advanced industries. (It will) become a hub for career development in this region and across our state.”

Last week, Durden was joined by Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier, Ogeechee Tech faculty and staff, the college’s Foundation Board and members of the community in signing one of the last beams that will be placed in the Center.

“The beam signing marks a key milestone in the completion of the new Georgia Training Center for Industrial Operations,” said Jan Moore, OTC’s vice president for Economic Development. “Unique within the Technical College System of Georgia, the facility will deliver state-of-the-art training in industrial systems and advanced automation, including robotics. We look forward to opening this new resource to the region next fall.”

The beam, painted white, will be installed in the ceiling of the Training Center, but remain visible from inside of the building.

The 37,000-square-foot Training Center will provide training to employees of manufacturers within the region, as well as companies that use automation in their supply and warehousing facilities.

Once operational, the college’s noncredit training capacity will increase to 460,000 hours annually – tripling the college’s current output.

Most of the demand now and in the future for robotics training stems from when Hyundai broke ground on the 2,541-acre Bryan County Metaplant in October 2022 to manufacture electric and hybrid vehicles. The complex is projected to employ, eventually, 8,500 people on-site. 

“The vision for the (Training Center) was inspired by the sheer amount of demand for training in this region in the area of industrial systems and robotics and the need to equip the region's workforce with the skills and expertise necessary to maximize the opportunities that now surround us,” Durden said in 2024.

More than a dozen manufacturing plants under construction or in operation in southeast Georgia are directly related to the Metaplant, including three in Bulloch County. Most use advanced forms of robotics in their manufacturing process.

Ajin USA, a supplier of metal auto body parts to Hyundai, opened their $317 million plant in July 2024 in the Bruce Yawn Commerce Park next to I-16.

Two other suppliers to the Metaplant opened in 2025 in Bulloch County. Hanon Systems is a maker of "automotive thermal and energy management" equipment, which includes air-conditioning components, and Ecoplastic America Corporation, which manufactures injection-molded plastic automotive body parts for Hyundai Motor Group vehicles.