Job growth continues in Fort Custer Industrial Park, world-renowned for global automotive suppliers.  Diversification now includes not only United Solar Ovonics and photovoltaic solar panels, but also TODA, manufacturing lithium ion battery materials necessary for the electrification of automobiles.

TODA anticipates completion of Phase I construction this autumn, with Phase II expected to be operational in 2012. Total employment for both phases is expected to reach 57. The planned investment in Battle Creek will approach $77 million.

Warehousing machinery and equipment at the Battle Creek site, United Solar Ovonics has reported approximately $103 million of investment of their planned $220 investment.

Musashi Auto Parts - Michigan, Inc. has completed a $2 million expansion and added up to seven new jobs.

Roesler Metal Finishing USA LLC recently announced the addition of 58 new jobs, following an expansion of their Denso Road facility, nearly doubling the square feet of Roesler in Battle Creek.

Local residents who wished to preserve charming old stone structures on Fort Custer land planned for future development were pleased with efforts by Battle Creek Unlimited and the VA Medical Center to relocate a stone fountain dating to the Civilian Conservation Corps presence in Battle Creek. The stone fountain is intended to grace a common area on the VA Medical Center property for patients and their families.

For the future, look for an updated, contemporary new look for Battle Creek Unlimited marketing materials. In addition to bright new signs throughout the industrial park, BCU print, video, and electronic promotional pieces will sport fresh colors and branding.

Charlotte Weick
Advance Newspapers

Those who rely on Allegan County Transportation (ACT) will benefit from the county's recently completed 22,788-foot transit facility. The facility is strategically located in the Highland Industrial Park in the City of Allegan at 750 Airway Drive. The location is central to the county, near state highways and close to a local dialysis unit, which is the destination of many ACT riders. Architects for the project were DLZ of Lansing, with Ownes-Ames-Kimbel of Grand Rapids serving as project manager.

ACT buses provide low-cost transportation for citizens in the largely rural community in areas that do not have regular bus service. Riders include patients who must travel to receive dialysis several times per week, Allegan County Mental Health clients, unemployed citizens traveling to Michigan Works!, seniors who attend community meals and citizens who need rides to medical appointments. ACT buses are equipped for the use of riders in wheelchairs, with walkers and those who have difficulty using steps.

The number of people riding ACT buses continues to grow, especially for those who need rides to medical appointments and places of employment, said ACT Director Dan Wedge.

The new facility, made possible through several state and federal grants, has a transit administration, vehicle maintenance, a bus wash, inside storage and outdoor parking. ACT riders schedule rides ahead of time and the new facility allows for several call takers with access to scheduling software. Inside storage for buses will save on fuel costs, as the buses will not have to idle for long periods to warm up.

"The project was a great success," Wedge said. "This facility is set to serve the citizens of Allegan County for many years to come."

An open house is planned for July. For more information, call Wedge at (269) 686-4529. For more information on ACT services, visit the Allegan County website at www.allegancounty.org.

Alex Nixon
Kalamazoo Gazette

Construction has started on an 85,000-square-foot warehouse at Midlink Business Park, and the former General Motors plant east of Kalamazoo that houses a variety of companies.

The warehouse, expected to be completed by the end of October or early November, will house Seneca Medical Inc.'s Kalamazoo distribution operation.

The Tiffin, Ohio-based medical supplier said in February that it was buying land at Midlink for a distribution center to serve its Michigan customers, including Bronson Healthcare Group, owner of Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo.

"Bronson, they were the prime reason for our move to Kalamazoo," Todd Howell, Seneca's chief financial officer, said Tuesday. "It wasn't so much Seneca Medical selling ourselves to Bronson. It was Bronson selling Kalamazoo to us."

The new warehouse will be east of the Midlink Business Park's two existing building on Sprinkle Road, just south of I-94 in Comstock Township.

Privately held Seneca Medical is a regional provider of medical and surgical supplies and medical equipment to hospitals, nursing homes and physician practices.

James Ware Construction of Sturgis is the general contractor for the project. Owner James Ware said excavation of the site is completed and the foundation is going in. Ware said he expects the steel structure to begin going up in June.

Howell and Seneca began operations in Kalamazoo in April. About 10 employees are working out of leased space inside the Midlink East building until the new warehouse is complete.

"We had bought the land to build, but we wanted to start operations as quickly as possible," Howell said.

By the end of Seneca's first year of operation in the new building - around the fourth quarter of 2011 - Howell said he expects the company to have 20 to 25 employees.

"We're in start-up mode, and we need to match our payroll with workload," he said. "As we continue to sign on additional customers, we'll continue to ramp up."

Seneca's investment in the land and building will total about $3.5 million, Howell said. The company has said it could employ up to 50 workers in coming years.

Jeff Hogan
The County Press

 

More than 100 new jobs will be created as the result of several tax breaks approved Monday evening by the Lapeer City Commission for two industrial manufacturers.

ZF Lemforder Corp. was granted a 12-year Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption for improvements underway at its facility at 3300 John Conley Drive in the Lapeer Industrial and Research Park located off Lake Nepessing Road. The company is investing $13.8 million in building improvements and new equipment that will translate to at least 67 new jobs, stated plant manager Gary Phillips, as well as the retention of 142 existing jobs. Fifty-two of the new jobs are already in place.

Headquartered in Germany, ZF Lemforder is a leading worldwide automotive supplier for driveline and chassis technology.

The average production wage at ZF Lemforder is approximately $19.10 per hour (with benefits).

In a separate action, the city commission granted a request from Hydraulic Tubes and Fittings to transfer two existing Industrial Facilities Tax Exemptions covering personal property in Imlay City to a new 92,000-square-foot facility the company recently purchased at 434 McCormick Drive in Lapeer. In addition, one new tax 12-year break was issued as well.

The company is already renovating the building at a cost of $269,540, and will be purchasing and installing new equipment at a cost of $865,000. The firm currently has 37 employees, and expects to create another 13 jobs at the McCormick site.

Hydraulic Tubes is expected to move from its Imlay City location to Lapeer on April 30. It will take approximately eight weeks before the company is fully operational.

The company manufactures pipes and tubes, fluid and gas regulators, pipe fittings, pipe flanges, traps and strainers, tube fittings, as well as valves, hardware and fittings, ducts, hoses and other products.

The projected wage for Hydraulic Tubes & Fittings is $11.25 per hour. The 50 jobs are all new to the City of Lapeer. Total projected income for the new jobs based on a 40-hour work week is $1.9 million.

 

Central Business Park  

 

Donald E. Shelton Industrial Park