Aldez: When Mazda Toyota Came to Huntsville, Its Supplier Needed a Building Immediately
Aldez, an automotive inventory management and distribution provider, needed a building near the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama to support the plant's start-up. A standing Hollingsworth building at SouthPoint Business Park answered on the OEM's timeline, and Aldez went on to add a second North Alabama site serving the MTMUS supply chain.
At a glance
| Client | Aldez, founded 1998 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Inventory management and distribution for the automotive industry, including MRO crib management and distribution center services |
| Location | 5651 Endeavor Way, SouthPoint Business Park, Huntsville, AL, adjacent to I-65 and I-565 |
| Purpose | Supporting the start-up of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA (MTMUS) |
| Deal | Lease of an existing Hollingsworth building, signed 2020 |
| OEM context | The MTMUS plant produces the Toyota Corolla Cross and Mazda CX-50 with roughly 4,000 jobs at full capacity |
| Outcome | Aldez opened at SouthPoint for the MTMUS start-up and later added a second North Alabama site |
Who is Aldez?
Aldez, founded in 1998, provides inventory management and distribution services for the automotive industry, including MRO crib management and distribution center operations.
When an OEM builds a new plant, its supply chain has to arrive first. Aldez won work supporting Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, the joint venture assembly plant in the Huntsville area, and the assignment came with the least negotiable deadline in industrial real estate: the plant's start of production.
What did Aldez need?
Aldez needed a building close to the MTMUS plant, ready for occupancy on the plant's start-up schedule, not a construction schedule.
OEM start-up dates do not move for suppliers. A supplier that cannot be operational when the line starts is a supplier that loses the contract. That eliminated ground-up construction as an option and turned the search into a simple question: what stands within reach of the plant right now?
How did The Hollingsworth Companies help?
Hollingsworth leased Aldez an existing building at SouthPoint Business Park, adjacent to I-65 and I-565, ready when the MTMUS timeline demanded it.
Mike Byrne, Aldez's chief operating officer, called the move a strategic one that would allow Aldez to serve MTMUS. The lease also demonstrated the flywheel behind Hollingsworth's program: with the existing building leased, Joe Hollingsworth announced that another building had already been started at SouthPoint. The park does not wait for demand to build, which is exactly why it had a building when Aldez needed one.
What were the results?
Aldez was operational for the MTMUS start-up, and went on to add a second North Alabama site as the supply chain grew around the plant.
The MTMUS plant produces the Toyota Corolla Cross and Mazda CX-50 with roughly 4,000 jobs at full capacity, and its supply chain grew around it. Aldez's expansion to a second North Alabama site after opening at SouthPoint is the quiet second half of the story: the building that solved an emergency became a base to grow from.
This new, state-of-the-art facility is a strategic move that will allow us to serve MTMUS.
We have started another facility in SouthPoint now that this existing building has been leased.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Aldez lease at SouthPoint Business Park?
Aldez needed to be operational for the start-up of the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant, and Hollingsworth had a standing building adjacent to I-65 and I-565 available on that timeline.
What happened after Aldez opened at SouthPoint Business Park?
Aldez was operational in time for the MTMUS start-up and later added a second North Alabama site as the plant's supply chain grew.
Can a supplier following an OEM into a new market find space quickly with Hollingsworth?
Yes. Hollingsworth builds manufacturing grade buildings ahead of demand, which is how Aldez, Shape Corporation, and Polaris each found standing buildings at SouthPoint when their requirements arrived.
What happens when a Hollingsworth building leases?
The next one starts. When Aldez leased its building, Hollingsworth had already begun construction on another at the same park.