ORANGEBURG — A manufacturing joint venture created to support Scout Motors’ future South Carolina plant is investing $120 million to set up shop in the Midlands and create hundreds of jobs.

Sodecia Aapico, made up of two global companies, announced plans Dec. 2 to construct a 400,000-square-foot factory in Orangeburg where it will produce ladder frames predominately for the carmaker’s SUV and truck models.

The new operations will be at 4100 St. Matthews Road .

Construction is anticipated to wrap up in 2027. Sodecia Aapico plans to create 392 jobs at the site — a number that Tri-County Electric Cooperative CEO Chad Lowder called a “true game changer for the citizens of Orangeburg and surrounding counties.”

Sodecia and Aapico are family-owned, global automotive manufacturers that have

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