Global Gear Maker to Site North American Headquarters, Manufacturing Center in Delaware County
Muncie, IN (October 8, 2008) - Governor Mitch Daniels joined
executives from international gear maker Brevini today to announce the
company's plans to locate its U.S.
headquarters and first North American gear design and manufacturing
center in Delaware
County, creating
more than 450 new jobs by 2011.
View the
video here.
The Italian company, which specializes in
designing and manufacturing planetary gear drive applications for a
variety of heavy equipment, utility, mining and marine applications,
will locate its North American headquarters and design center in an
existing 60,000 square-foot facility in the Muncie Delaware
County Park One
Industrial Park.
The
company will construct an additional 150,000 square-foot manufacturing
space at the site in 2010 to manufacture planetary gear boxes for wind
turbine energy generation and other low-speed, high-torque applications.
Capital investment is projected to be $62.5 million with an annual
payroll of $20.9 million when all the jobs are in place. ($46,000 avg.
per job)
"Indiana intends to be a green power leader, not only in producing energy but in making the equipment that produces energy, including wind turbines, electric car batteries and other tools of this energy revolution," said Daniels. "Brevini could have chosen to locate anyplace in the country but selected Indiana and that's a reflection of our leadership in alternative energy and our excellent business climate."
The
company, which currently designs and manufactures its planetary gear
boxes in Germany, Italy and China, will begin hiring engineers,
accountants, customer service staff and assembly technicians in 2009
following the relocation of its existing U.S. headquarters from suburban
Chicago.
"Brevini
is a world leader in both innovative design and quality planetary gear
box and power transmission applications," said Renato Brevini, founder
and Chief Executive Officer of Brevini. "This combination requires
significant investment in the best facilities, equipment and people. Our
Indiana
facility will enable us to design and build the best quality gear boxes
in the world."
The
company's move to Indiana marks the
first U.S.
based manufacturing operation for the Italian company. The facility
will serve as a hub for developing and manufacturing wind turbine
planetary gear boxes used in wind farms across the country. The gear
boxes, which transform kinetic wind energy into mechanical energy for
electricity generation, are a critical component in furthering wind
power generation in the United States, Brevini said.
"This
is a great opportunity for Delaware County
and East Central Indiana to diversify its workforce and economic base.
Brevini is the type of company that will be a tremendous asset to the
entire community as well as an economic stimulus for the potential of
suppliers and other companies to locate in this area and continue our
growth," said
John Brooke, President of the Delaware County Commissioners.
The
Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Brevini up to $3.9
million in performance-based tax credits and up to $300,000 in training
grants based on the company's job creation plans.
The Muncie-Delaware
County Economic Development Alliance-Vision 2011 helped to coordinated the local
effort. Incentives include a 20-acre site for the new
facility, economic development income tax funding, tax increment financing and
extending rail service to the site with the assistance of a state
grant.
"Today
is a magnificent day for the City of Muncie
and Delaware
County. More than
450 families in the greater Muncie
community will be positively impacted by Brevini's decision to relocate
its headquarters and ultimately build a manufacturing facility in the Muncie Delaware County
Park One
Industrial Park,"
said Muncie Mayor Sharon McShurley. She added that the trickle down
economic effect will be significant to the local economy. "The City of Muncie is
thrilled with this decision and we so appreciate Brevini's vote of
confidence in our community. We look forward to partnering with them as
they advance their company." said the Mayor.
"The
Brevini announcement represents the single largest industrial project
in terms of new jobs in the history of Delaware County,"
said Rich Clasby, Vice Chairman for Economic Development for the
Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance and Chamber of
Commerce. "Today's announcement continues a series of great news.
Brevini is the third major international company to come to Delaware County in recent years. Magna
(MPT-Muncie) and Miasa, along with two Fortune 500 companies, IBM and
Sallie Mae, are creating over 2,200 jobs and investing over $157
million," noted Clasby. "These coupled with many existing business
expansions that are creating hundreds of news jobs continue to show the
world that Muncie-Delaware County is a great place to do business,"
added Clasby.
Brevini
plans to construct its new manufacturing facility to Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and employ technology
that will power a portion of the facility with electricity generated
from gear box testing.
The U.S. is now the world leader in wind electricity generation, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The trade association expects more than 7,500 megawatts of new wind capacity to be added in 2008, expanding America's wind energy fleet by 45 percent. One megawatt of wind capacity is enough to supply 240 to 300 average American homes.
Every
1,000 megawatts of wind power developed create a potential for 3,000
new jobs in manufacturing, 700 new jobs in installation, and 600 new
jobs in operations and maintenance, according to an analysis by the
Renewable Energy Policy Project.
-30-
About the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance:
Vision 2011 is the Delaware County's five year economic development program and is administered by the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and Delaware Advancement Corporation. For more information about the EDC, visit www.muncie.com.About the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (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. Indiana Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob serves as the CEO of the IEDC. For more information visit www.iedc.in.gov.About Brevini:
Founded in Spain in 1960 by Renato, Luciano and Corrado Brevini, Brevini has grown to an international developer and manufacturer of planetary and helical gears for industries ranging from manufacturing to energy generation. Headquartered in Italy, the Brevini Company now exceeds $600 million dollars a year in annual global sales. The Brevini Company specializes in application of planetary gearboxes with hydraulic and electric motors for low speed, high torque equipment. The company’s reducers are particularly suited to thickeners, agitators, mixers, feeder conveyors, inching, long travel and slewing drives. For more information about Brevini, visit www.breviniusa.com.