BeijingWest Industries, Co. Ltd. (BWI), a premier chassis supplier that designs and manufactures brake and suspension systems for the global automotive market, will locate its first U.S. production facility in Greenfield, IN, creating up to 441 new, high-wage jobs by 2021. The Beijing-headquartered company will invest more than $80 million to build and equip a new 276,514-square-foot manufacturing facility in Progress Park.
“BWI is excited to be working with the state of Indiana and Hancock County on this extremely important project,” said John Beres III, assistant president and global director of BWI. “We are appreciative of the support given to us at the state and local level. This plant will expand our North American footprint to support our U.S. customer base.”
BWI serves more than 31 customers around the world and provides the highly-acclaimed MagneRide® suspension system. The company plans to break ground on the new facility this summer and launch production in August 2019. With its growth, BWI expects to increase its production by 4 million parts per year to meet the continued demand from its customers, which include Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Porsche.
The company operates seven manufacturing operations and seven technical centers, including one in Dayton, OH. The Indiana-based facility will be the company’s first manufacturing site in the U.S. BWI plans to work with Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, which is the largest singly-accredited statewide community college system in the nation, to help develop workforce training.
“BWI had options when deciding where to locate its first U.S. facility, and I’m thrilled they chose the Hoosier state,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “Indiana is home to the second largest automotive industry in the nation, and we offer companies like BWI close proximity to their customers. As a state, we must continue to provide the skilled workforce, world-class infrastructure and pro-growth tax climate that attracts and supports business and residents.”
Pending approval from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) Board of Directors, the IEDC will offer BWI North America Inc up to $4,550,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, so until employees are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Greenfield will consider additional incentives at the request of the Hancock County Economic Development Council.
Indiana is home to approximately 800 foreign-owned business establishments, which provide more than 152,000 jobs. With more than 1 million cars assembled in Indiana each year, the state is home to the second-largest automotive industry in the nation by GDP, providing BWI close proximity to a leading automobile industry. As of 2016, China is the state’s second largest import country and is ranked fourth largest for exports.
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