Scout Motors marks construction milestone on $2B Blythewood plant

Scout Motors marked a construction milestone this week on its massive Production Center in Blythewood.

Construction teams erected the first steel support beams, marking another milestone in Scout’s progress toward building a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, according to a news release.

Over the past year, substantial work was required to prepare the grounds for factory building construction, the release stated. Scout Motors collaborated with the state of South Carolina and Richland County to conduct extensive work such as grading the property flat, stabilizing the soil, relocating utilities and adding upgraded and additional utilities.

In total, the construction team moved more than 4 million cubic yards of dirt to ensure a flat surface pad for future structures.

Several weeks ago, Scout reached a significant milestone when construction started on the physical buildings, with the first foundations and footings poured in concrete, the release stated. Scout is now beginning to erect the main building columns, with the first roof structures scheduled to be in place by the end of this fall.

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The 1,100-acre site for the future Scout plant is located at 501 Blythewood Road in the southeastern quadrant of Richland County’s industrial park off Interstate 77. The $2 billion project is expected to create an estimated 4,000 jobs.

The company plans to have the building exteriors largely in place by the end of 2024, so it can begin installing the interior machinery and other equipment in 2025, the release stated.

Construction remains on schedule for the new Scout vehicles to start production by the end of 2026, with the first retail sales of trucks and SUVs occurring shortly thereafter.

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