The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, together with Tenneco, Inc., a global vehicle parts supplier, announced the company's plans to expand its operations in Noble County, creating up to 105 jobs by 2013.
The Lake Forest, Ill.-headquartered company, which has 87 manufacturing facilities in 24 countries, will invest $18.5 million to lease and equip a 50,000 square-foot Ligonier facility to house robotic welding machinery to produce emission control parts for Chrysler.
"Indiana's record breaking year continues. This announcement is tribute to the skill of Hoosier workers and the pro-growth business climate we've worked hard to create since day one," said Governor Mitch Daniels.
The company, which has more than 430 full-time Indiana employees at its Ligonier facility and 24,000 employees worldwide, plans to begin hiring engineering support, hand welders, material handlers and support personnel in January.
"Tenneco is excited to bring new business to northeast Indiana which will result in the addition of more than 100 jobs at our Ligonier facility," said Doug Bonecutter, plant manager at Tenneco's Ligonier facility. "We thank the state of Indiana, Noble County and the city of Ligonier for their support, which led directly to our winning the new business. We appreciate doing business in Indiana, with its business friendly policies and the state's desire to work with employers."
Tenneco designs and manufactures emission control and ride control products for the original equipment and replacement markets. With three Indiana facilities located in Elkhart, Ligonier and Angola, Tenneco's Ligonier facility produces emission control products, including mufflers, catalytic converters and emission systems for customers like Chrysler and Ford. Proud of its focus on safety, the Ligonier facility has been the recipient of Tenneco's Global Environmental Health and Safety Large Plant Culture Award for the past two years.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Tenneco Automotive Operating Company, Inc., up to $600,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $68,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Ligonier approved additional incentives at the request of the Noble County Economic Development Corporation.
"The announcement of Tenneco's new project is great news for the city of Ligonier. It has been my privilege to work with all the team players who have helped to secure this expansion," said Ligonier Mayor Patty Fisel. "Retaining present industry and jobs is very important to our community. The addition of new jobs is very exciting."
Tenneco's decision comes on the heels of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's announcement yesterday that already 220 companies have made decisions to expand or locate new business operations in Indiana this year, outpacing the 219 decisions by companies announced at year-end last year and every other year on record.
About Tenneco
For more information about Tenneco, please visit www.tenneco.com.
About IEDC
Created by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Daniels. Dan Hasler serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC.
The IEDC oversees programs enacted by the General Assembly including tax credits, workforce training grants and public infrastructure assistance. All tax credits are performance-based. Therefore, companies must first invest in Indiana through job creation or capital investment before incentives are paid. A company who does not meet its full projections only receives a percentage of the incentives proportional to its actual investment. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.