Mayor Leonard Urban (left) shows Zhou Bo, front, and Mark Wastl of Good Times Technology some photos of the Connersville delegation’s trip to China in June following Tuesday city council meeting. (DARRELL SMITH / News-Examiner)
Prospects look good that a Chinese firm will choose Connersville as the home for its new technology, but two other Indiana cities remain in the hunt for what could be 5,000 jobs or more in 10 years.
Zhou Bo, majority principal in Good Times Technology, and Mark Wastl, North American sales engineering manager, met with officials from the city Wednesday after meeting members of City Council Tuesday night and then picnicking with community leaders at Mayor Leonard Urban’s cabin.
The delegation also toured the parts of the former Visteon plant not being used by Carbon Motors. They met with representatives of Mac Machine in Connersville and Rogers Engineering in Cambridge City as possible contractors for machines needed in the process.
Urban and Economic Development Group Chairman Pete Bell met the delegation in Indianapolis Monday at the China-Indiana Trade Symposium. Urban said Bo signed an agreement to create a Hoosier company at that meeting.
Bo began the company in 1997 in Ningbo, China. His father had been involved in rubber manufacturing. The company began as a way to find a solution for the waste tire problem.
A Chinese chemist referred to as Mr. Liu spent 25 years perfecting the process to reduce tires to its component parts: steel, carbon black, diesel fuel and bituminous products, coal and natural gas. Carbon black can be used for ink cartridges. Coal and natural gas will be used in the process to heat the tires and because of heat in that process, there will be no need for heating the plant. The diesel fuel is a very low sulfur content. The bituminous product can be used as a binder for asphalt paving.
Some of the byproduct is used in making rubber products for the auto and appliance industry.
The process has been used in China for two years, Wastl said.
The company has opened a plant in South Africa similar to one planned for Indiana. The company wants to expand in the United States.
Bo said Indiana is centrally located, has good transportation through roads and rail and Gov. Mitch Daniels.
“Most important is the relationship with the governor and Mayor Urban,” he said. “He came to China. He is the only mayor to come to China and see all three plants.”
The former Visteon plant is a good fit for the Good Times manufacturing process, Wastl said.
When a decision is made on location, the first year will require 200,000 square feet and 50 employees. In succeeding years, the numbers increase to 500,000 square feet and 100 employees, 1 million square feet and 200 employees, 1.5 million square feet and 400 employees and 2 million square feet and 600 employees in year five, he explained.
“We want to phase in the process and will use revenues from year one to finance the expansion for year two and on and on,” Wastl said. “We talked last night (at City Council) about five, 2 million square foot plants on that site in 10 years.”
He said 2 million square feet would not even handle the waste tires from Indiana.
“The employment of this plant is not affected by the economy. No matter if you’re in a boom or recession, you’re still going to have tires,” he said.
Wastl said the company was not asking any incentives from the local government. It is asking the local government to help with incentives from the state and federal governments.
“We can’t ask any more from the city. They’ve been very good,” he said.
He said the mayors of the Indiana cities have been told that relationships with Zhou Bo are very important.
“Mayor Urban and his delegation are the only delegation from the U.S. to visit all three plants for Good Times, which is important,” Wastl said. “Many people thought the mayor was on vacation; believe me, it was no vacation.”
Kai Chuk, project manager for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., said mayors are seen in Asia as being very important people. Urban and his group to go to China, they deserve applause for going without any knowledge of the country. That trip could result in good things for the community.
Because of a problem gaining visas for some members of the delegation who had planned to travel to Indiana this month, company representatives plan to return to Indiana in October.
Wastl said at that time a formal announcement would likely be made in the city chosen for the company.
He told council Tuesday that Urban had done a wonderful job courting the company and that could bring good things to Connersville in coming years.
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