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A 140-year-old German company with its roots in gasket manufacturing is betting on the future of automotive drive trains with a $40.3 million investment in a Pickens County site to serve as its American hub for business and manufacturing.

ElringKlinger will manufacture electric battery cell contacting systems at a new 226,000-square-foot facility at 3800 Calhoun Memorial Highway in Easley — the second company in a week to announce plans for the site next to the historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway in the new Speedway Industrial & Technology Park.

The ElringKlinger facility could be ready as soon as mid-2025 and…