Whitley Products Inc., a supplier of fabricated tubular products serving the diesel engine, agricultural, off-highway equipment and HVAC industries, announced today that it is expanding its business to include an additional warehousing site and new equipment to increase production capacity in Plymouth. The company plans to add 30 new employees to its workforce of 76 by 2012.
Whitley Products projects to invest more than $1 million to equip and lease a portion of a 62,000 square-foot building in the Plymouth Industrial Park from Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation. The additional site will be in addition to Whitley's existing 40,000 square-foot Plymouth location.
"Indiana's pro-growth climate is once again attracting new jobs and investment to North Central Indiana," said Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "Whitley Products is a longtime contributor to the Indiana economy and we're glad that they've chosen to continue to expand here."
The expansion is the result of a major contract award to Whitley by an international agricultural equipment manufacturer. In addition to its Plymouth facility, Whitley operates a second production site in Franklin, N.C. and is headquartered in Warsaw.
"Whitley Products is committed to continuously improving its capability to serve our customers," said chief executive officer, Rick McCurdy. "Our mission is to profitably grow as a recognized leader in the field of specialty tubular products."
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Whitley Products up to $250,000 in performance-based tax credits based on the company's job creation plans. The city of Plymouth will consider additional property tax abatement at the request of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation.
"Marshall County is pleased to support Whitley's aggressive effort to capture this business and bring it to our area," said Jennifer Laurent, Marshall County Economic Development Executive Director. "They are a company confidently navigating the global marketplace, and have set their sights on even more growth in the future. We are making it easy for them to implement that plan here in Plymouth."
Whitley Products' announced expansion comes less than a week after composite flooring manufacturer, Conforce International Inc., announced plans to invest more than $13.8 million to site its first U.S. production facility in nearby Peru, Ind. creating up to 175 new jobs by 2013.
About Whitley Products
Servicing its customers for over six decades, Whitley Products is the largest Tier Two supplier of precision tubular products to the diesel engine, agricultural equipment, off-highway, construction equipment and HVAC markets. Headquartered in Warsaw, Ind., Whitley products operates manufacturing facilities in Plymouth, Ind. and Franklin, N.C. For more information visit: http://www.whitleyproducts.com/default.asp .
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. Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov .
About Marshall County EDC
The mission of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is to expand and diversify the economy of the county by fostering investment in new and existing facilities and creating entrepreneurial capacity. For more information, visit www.marshallcountyedc.org .