Fort Wayne Metals, which produces precision wire, strands and cables for the medical device industry, announced plans to expand its Allen County, Indiana, operations, creating up to 337 new jobs by 2021.
“Indiana has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading medical device hubs,” Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “Every day, Hoosiers are at work developing new life-saving solutions, and I’m excited to see that trend continue with the growth of our life sciences sector and industry-leading firms like Fort Wayne Metals.”
The company, which was established in Fort Wayne in 1946 and now has operations across the world, will invest $51.1 million to expand and enhance its northeast Indiana operations. In order to meet growing demand for its products, Fort Wayne Metals plans to construct a two-story, 40,000-square-foot addition to their corporate office building at 9609 Ardmore Ave. and will also revitalize a 60,000-square-foot building at 4202 Piper Drive, which they recently purchased for expansion. With construction scheduled to begin in 2017, the project will increase the company's production capacity for precision wire and wire-based components for the medical device industry and other critical applications.
Fort Wayne Metals’ products are distributed globally and used in various medical device markets, including vascular therapy, cardiac rhythm management, endoscopy, orthopedics, dental, neuromodulation and neurostimulation. The company is one of 1,687 life sciences firms in Indiana that employ more than 56,000 Hoosiers. According to BioCrossroads, these firms help Indiana export $9.6 billion of life sciences products annually, ranking No. 2 in the nation.
“As we continue to be innovative leaders of life-saving, high-quality material solutions, we are experiencing a global increase in demand”, said Troy Linder chief financial officer of Fort Wayne Metals. “Our investment in facilities and people will help build the infrastructure necessary to meet this demand, and we are excited to be able to partner with the IEDC and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. to continue to expand our footprint in Fort Wayne”.
Fort Wayne Metals currently employs more than 800 full-time associates at production facilities in Fort Wayne and Columbia City. The new jobs will be created in all areas of the business, including production and maintenance, business systems, thermal processing, statistical process control, regulatory compliance, production maintenance, environmental safety and more. To learn more and apply, visit www.fwmetals.com/people.
“I continue to be encouraged by the job growth and private investment we’re experiencing in our community,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “We’re appreciative of the commitment by Fort Wayne Metals. Their decision to expand and add hundreds of new jobs is another example of the positive momentum we’re seeing in Fort Wayne.”
Fort Wayne Metals is a global leader in manufacturing precision wire and related components for use in life-saving medical devices and other critical applications as well as non-medical applications, including aerospace and defense, industrial and resistance wire. In addition to its facilities in North America, the company also has locations around the globe throughout Asia, Central America and Europe.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered Fort Wayne Metals up to $84,000 in training grants and up to $3,449,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation and investment plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning that until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana Works will consider additional incentives at the request of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
About Fort Wayne Metals
Fort Wayne Metals Research Products Corp. is a leading manufacturer of high-quality materials, precision wire, strands and cables, and component assemblies for medical devices and other demanding applications. Fort Wayne Metals is an ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and AS 9100 registered company with over 1,000 employees at their corporate headquarters in Fort Wayne, IN, as well as in Columbia City, IN and Castlebar, Ireland. Learn more at www.fwmetals.com.
About IEDC
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) leads the state of Indiana’s economic development efforts, helping businesses launch, grow and locate in the state. Governed by a 15-member board chaired by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the IEDC manages many initiatives, including performance-based tax credits, workforce training grants, innovation and entrepreneurship resources, public infrastructure assistance, and talent attraction and retention efforts. For more information about the IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.