BELLEVUE, Wash. — After announcing plans to build a $400 million engine facility and technology center in January, PACCAR recently settled on a location in Columbus, Miss.

Construction on the 400,000-square-foot facility will begin in mid-2007 and is due to be completed in 2009.

“PACCAR is pleased to locate its engine facility in one of the most dynamic and progressive areas in the Southeast,” commented Mark Pigott, chairman and CEO. “The Columbus, Mississippi site provides superb proximity to our dealers, customers and strategic supplier partners.

The new facility will manufacture 12.9-liter and 9.2-liter diesel engines for Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF vehicles and complements PACCARs state-of-the-art engine facility in the Netherlands.

“This will be PACCARs most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly facility,” added Jim Cardillo, executive vice-president. “The facility will initially hire approximately two hundred employees and it is anticipated that there will be five hundred employees as production increases over time.

PACCAR earned record net income of $1.5 billion on revenues of $16.5 billion in 2006.The company is involved in global technology design, manufacturing and customer support of light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. It also provides financial services and information technology and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.

“We appreciate the outstanding support from the State of Mississippi and Lowndes County in partnering with PACCAR to bring this significant economic investment to the area,” stated Richard Bangert, vice-president. We look forward to developing a close relationship with Mississippi State University and regional community colleges by investing in their advanced engineering programs, as well as providing ongoing educational opportunities for our employees.”