Paul Hines, Courier-Times Staff Writer
Executives from Honda supplier TS Tech made it official Friday - ground will be broken on a new factory in April. By March 2009, the company will employ 300 people.
Gov. Mitch Daniels, community leaders, a swarm of media, government officials and spectators heard the announcement Friday in Henry County's former circuit courtroom.
Japan-based TS Tech plans to make $32 million in capital investments and build a 200,000 square-foot factory. Production will start in August. Eventually, it will produce about 800 seats per day for Honda.
New Castle and Henry County provided incentives. The state of Indiana also announced Friday it would sweeten the incentive pot adding up to $2.4 million in tax credits and $645,000 in grants to bring TS Tech to Indiana.
TS Tech President North America Kazuhisa Saito said the company picked New Castle because it was close to Interstate-70 and close to the Honda plant in Greensburg.
"We look forward to a bright future together," Saito said.
Honda plant led to supplier
It was not lost on anyone that without the Honda plant first locating in Greensburg the Friday announcement wouldn't have been possible. After the Honda plant announced it would locate in Greensburg, state leaders met with leading suppliers for Honda.
"We had a conversation with them about the possibility that they too might come to Indiana," Daniels said.
Daniels said the announcement and successful courting of TS Tech was deserved for Henry County. The city, according to Daniels, is in a great location with a trained workforce.
"Any day that several hundred new jobs, good paying jobs, comes to any part of Indiana is a beautiful day," Daniels said. "And this is a great example of that. This is the second echo of the Honda success."
Team work made it happen
New Castle Mayor Tom Nipp presented Saito with a key to the city. Nipp briefed the governor and Saito on New Castle's history.
"For your sake, and I think for Gov. Daniels' sake, I would like to say that New Castle is a town that likes basketball," Nipp said.
The city is home to the New Castle Fieldhouse, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the 3A boys basketball state champions.
"This is a basketball town," Nipp said.
He went on to draw an analogy. He talked about New Castle's point guard Zach Hahn and his abilities on the basketball court. In the world of economic development, Nipp said, Bryan Coats, New Castle-Henry County Economic Development president and CEO, and EDC Office Manager Jeana Davis were the point guards of the team.
"They have absolutely carried the ball," Nipp said.
Other members of the team included city, county and state governments worked with the point guard to form a team in Nipp's analogy.
Gifts
The county commissioners presented Saito with a framed copy of a press plate from the edition of The Courier-Times that announced the company had received a 10-year tax abatement. Coats also pinned Saito with the Indiana and Japanese flags.
"You may be from Japan and may live in Ohio, but you are now a Hoosier," Coats said.