Electron Beam Medical Facility Set for Indiana

Iotron Industries Canada, Inc., a provider of contract sterilization services to the medical industry, pest and microbial reduction for agribusiness and materials modification in the production of orthopedic products, will establish a new operation in Columbia City, IN.

Iotron Industries will invest more than $15.3 million to construct a 54,000 square-foot electron beam treatment facility in the Park 30 Business Center, a shovel-ready park near Columbia City. The project is expected to create 20 new jobs.

“It’s welcomed news to see a high-tech, international company like Iotron recognize the good things Indiana has to offer – low-taxes, welcoming to business and the most concentrated, experienced orthopedic industry workers in the world,” said Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The Canada-based company’s electron-beam treatment process serves medical products and products used in the agribusiness industry. In addition, the company’s technology is used for advanced applications such as composite curing in the defense and manufacturing industries.

“The selection of Indiana for our expansion facility represented the culmination of more than two years of intensely exploring and considering sites across the United States for a possible location,” said Lloyd Scott, president of Iotron. “We believe we have now secured a highly competitive position that will benefit both Iotron and the Indiana region in the short- and long-term.”

“When Iotron commenced the process of expanding the company’s operations, Indiana held a good deal of interest in this expansion due to the state’s leading position in the orthopedic industry and its business-friendly environment,” said Joseph Rangel, chief executive officer of Iotron. “Indiana enthusiastically supported our expansion into the Hoosier state, and Iotron looks forward to helping the state expand its competitive position and assist in attracting companies requiring electron beam processing of their products.”

Iotron expects to break ground on the new Iotron Industries USA facility in early 2011, with major construction to be completed by late 2011. The company’s hiring will begin in January 2011 to begin training selected Indiana-based employees in specialized electron-beam processing methods at Iotron’s Canadian facilities before the Columbia City facility is operational.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Iotron up to $200,000 in performance-based tax credits based on the company’s job-creation plans. Whitley County worked with three other counties to aggregate $7 million in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds, as well as other local incentives at the request of the Whitley County Economic Development Corporation.