Manufacturers to add jobs
By Lisa Green | The Journal Gazette
Twenty-two Indiana manufacturers expect to add more than 1,000 jobs – including more than 270 in the Fort Wayne area – within the next few years.
The jobs projection tally came Friday, the National Manufacturing Day observance.
Indiana has 8,500 facilities and the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., supporting 1 in 5 Hoosier jobs, the state's Economic Development Corp. said in a news release.
Friday's jobs announcement came the same week that local music industry retailer Sweetwater Sound said it will add 1,000 jobs by 2022. The company plans a $76.4 million expansion, including warehouse and conference center space. And in July, Fort Wayne hot tub manufacturer Master Spas said it planned to invest more than $15 million to expand and would add 107 jobs within four years.
Companies part of Friday's announcement include:
- Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems in Huntington County. Bendix expects to invest $1.5 million within three years to open a fifth building, expanding distribution and manufacturing capabilities. Bendix employs more than 420 in Huntington and expects to add up to 49 jobs.
- Cardinal IG Co. in Steuben County. Cardinal makes residential insulated glass for windows and doors. It is investing $4.75 million to expand its Fremont facility for a new fabrication line. Cardinal employs 345 full-time in Indiana and plans to create 45 jobs by 2021.
- Driven Innovations in Kosciusko County, which builds components for the RV industry. The company, which expects to invest $3.6 million to expand in Syracuse, employs 13 full-time and plans to create up to 60 jobs by 2020.
- IQ Fibers in Wells County, which makes cellulose fiber products from recycled paper. The company will invest $10.5 million to lease and equip the 40,000-square-foot former Sterling Casting Buildings plant in Bluffton. IQ Fibers has added 10 full-time employees toward its goal of 36.
- Tenneco Inc. in Noble County. A supplier of clean air and ride performance products for the auto industry, Tenneco will invest more than $5.4 million to expand manufacturing in Ligonier. It plans to create 43 jobs by the end of 2019.
Also on the list was Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in Allen County, based on plans to invest more than $3.6 million to expand operations at 2531 Bremer Road in New Haven. A local media report in May said the company could add 40 jobs.
Related articles: Manufacturers plan 1,000+ new jobs in Indiana on National Manufacturing Day from Indiana Economic Development Corporation
Click here to read the full version of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation Manufacturing Day press release.
Cardinal IG expanding its Fremont plant from KPC Media - The Herald Republican
Tenneco to expand in Ligonier from KPC Media - The News Sun
