Fairfield company seeks tax incentives for expansion

Pacific Manufacturing Ohio is latest area auto supplier poised to expand.

Auto parts supplier Pacific Manufacturing Ohio is planning a new, approximately $50 million expansion of its Fairfield operations, according to the city, which is scheduled to consider property tax incentives for the project at a council meeting Monday.

One of Fairfield’s largest employers of about 540 people, Pacific joins a growing list of expanding automotive suppliers in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton. National auto sales climbed to a record 17.47 million new vehicles sold in 2015, according to Autodata Corp.

Pacific, a tier 1 auto supplier to Toyota and a supplier to other automaker customers, makes metal stamping products and molded plastic for automobiles and tire valve products, according to the company's website. Currently, the company has three large manufacturing facilities along Seward Road in Fairfield, according to a city staff report prepared for council members.

“It’s always a positive when one of your largest businesses makes a substantial commitment like this to stay and grow in town,” said Greg Kathman, economic development manager for Fairfield. “Pacific has been a good partner to the city of Fairfield for over 25 years and they support the community in a number of different ways.”

Plans are to build an approximately 72,000-square-foot building expansion onto the manufacturing plant located at 8935 Seward Road. Most of the investment is expected to be in new equipment including new stamping machines. Expansion plans could also add about 60 new jobs over the next three years, according to city records.

City Council will consider whether to provide the project a seven year, 65 percent property tax abatement for the real estate improvements. The tax incentive also calls for a fixed payment to the Fairfield school district and Butler Technology and Career Development Schools in lieu of tax payments.

Ohio Tax Credit Authority is also scheduled to consider the project for tax credits Monday.

EXPANDING AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

Other automotive suppliers in the region have announced the following expansions:

• UGN Inc. opened in 2015 a new $50 million, 232,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Monroe in the Park North industrial business park to make interior vehicle parts to supply customers such as Honda of America and Subaru;

• Brake parts maker ADVICS Manufacturing Ohio of Lebanon is expanding again, this time in a 260-job, approximately $150.5 million project announced in 2015 that includes building a third, 216,000-square-foot production building on Kingsview Drive where employees will build a new electronic brake system, company officials previously said;

• Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies of Franklin in 2014 announced an expansion with potential to create about 120 new jobs;

• Also, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America Inc. in Mason broke ground in 2015 on an approximately 156,000-square-foot expansion of its Bethany Road factory, according to the city. Approximately 100 new full-time jobs are supposed to be created as a result and more than 450 jobs retained, according to Mason officials;

• ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America Inc. of Hamilton, which makes shock absorbers, is about halfway through its latest expansion and recently completed a 30,000-square-foot expansion of its factory, part one of a two-phase project to be completed within the next year. The total $26 million investment includes a building expansion and investment in new, more advanced equipment. To date, the company has added more than 500 jobs over the last five years in Hamilton; and

• Fuyao Glass America Inc. first announced plans in 2014 to open an auto glass factory at the former General Motors assembly plant in Moraine. After Fuyao's initial announcement, the Chinese-based company at the beginning of 2015 announced it will nearly double the amount of jobs originally promised and hire 1,550 workers and invest a total of $360 million.

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