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Steel tariffs drive high-end wheel business to start manufacturing

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — John Danis spent Wednesday walking around an empty York County wheel plant that will soon be back in business.

Danis is the vice president of manufacturing for Wheel Pros.

[RELATED: North Carolina Gov. Cooper asks Trump to pull back on tariffs]

The Colorado-based company was initially just a distributor and seller of aftermarket rims for cars and trucks, but recently became a manufacturer.

Wheel Pro sells under the brand names XD, Moto Metal and several others.

"We design those wheels.  We have them built right now in China, and preferably we're gonna build most of those here in York County," said Danis.

New tariffs on steel imported into the United States is a major factor in the company’s recent change.

[RELATED: Steel company to create 180 jobs in York County]

Danis told Channel 9 that a 12 percent tariff is expected to hit this month and it’s expected to climb to 25 percent by the end of the year.

According to Danis, United States manufacturing operation was a missing piece of the company's puzzle, and it's important now.

"I think if it hadn't already been in motion, it would have definitely been a focus point.  So I’m sure some of the other aftermarket companies are also looking that way," he said.

Wheel Pros is buying the former American Eagle Wheel Plant in an industrial park on Park Place Road near York.

American Eagle Wheel was a family-owned business that manufactured rims onsite until the business folded last year.

Wheel Pros will invest $14 million into York County, create 300 jobs and make 400,000 wheels a year.

The company plans for the number of wheels created annually to eventually rise to 1 million a year.

Wheel Pros will use some of the equipment owned by American Eagle and contacted dozens of their former workers to offer them jobs at the new plant.

They expect to begin casting wheels at the York plant by early next year.

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