By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The expansion of a recreational vehicle parts supplier will help bolster and diversify the local work force by bringing much-needed technological jobs to Elkhart.
Owens Corning Fabwel announced plans to open a science and technology center to develop products for the RV industry. The company made the announcement Tuesday during the annual National RV Trade Show.
"At Owens Corning, we really like this industry," Chuck Jerasa, general manager of Fabwel, said of the RV business. "This is one of our growth industries."
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Bayer Corp. made public plans to close its Diabetes Care headquarters in Elkhart and move the division to Tarrytown, N.Y.
Many of the 100 positions also being moved to the east coast belonged to well-educated professionals, making the shutdown even more painful for the local economy, which relies primarily on manufacturing jobs.
Employing primarily application engineers as well as product development engineers and professional technicians, the new Fabwel center will focus on developing new products -- namely doors, walls and exterior parts using fiberglass technology for RVs and cargo trailers.
By locating the center in the prime manufacturing hub for RVs, Fabwel researchers and engineers will be able to interact with RV makers and develop products that meet the industry's needs, explained Jerasa.
"Our goal is to make better parts to make better RVs," Jerasa said. "Working with our customers to make better parts is our strategy."
Jerasa declined to say where the new 16,000-square-foot facility is being built in Elkhart but said it will be open during the first quarter of 2006.