Every Ford and GM vehicle in North America is made with a bearing that’s manufactured in Sylvania, GA.

The company that makes those bearings was named “The World Trade Center Savannah’s International Business of the Year" on Thursday.

Manufacturing may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Sylvania, GA, but don’t tell that to the folks at Koyo.

“We manufacture all the solid rear axle bearings for Ford and GM here in this plant for every one that’s manufactured in North America,” said Andy Durrence, Koyo, Plant Manager.

Koyo, which has Japanese ownership, is global in scale with 30 percent of its products going to export through the facilities of the Georgia Ports Authority. They started in Southeast Georgia in 1973 as the Torrington Company. In the ensuing 46 years, the bearing manufacturer has nearly doubled its physical space while lifting the payroll to $30 million, annually.

“Because of our performance, we’ve been able to win more and more customers. We have people from all over the world visit this plant every day.”

The secret to that performance, says Durrence, is the magic of Screven County.

“We’ve got one of the most technical work forces possible in such a small, rural area,” he said.

“When you look at our workforce, a lot of them grew up with maybe an agricultural background - fixing things, problem-solving on the fly - and I think those skills transfer so well into a manufacturing job,” said Dorie Bacon, Screven County Development Authority.

The business is 55 percent automotive and 45 percent industrial right now, but when Koyo of Sylvania says the sky’s the limit, they’re not exaggerating. Their components are in satellites as far away from Sylvania as Mars.

Koyo’s employee turnover is less than five percent per year.