U.S. Farathane LLC, a supplier of injection molded parts for the automotive industry, is making progress on a 100,000-square-foot expansion of its facility in Westland, Mich.
The Westland mayor's office announced in September the company was approved for a 12-year tax abatement for the project. The tax incentive enables manufacturers to renovate or expand aging facilities, and assists in the building of new, high-tech facilities, according to the news release.
The additional space will be used for more manufacturing capacity for its injection and compression molding business lines. The company's injection molding machines range from 75-4,400 tons, according to its website.
U.S. Farathane molds interior and exterior plastic components to automakers such as General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and FCA US LLC.
The total project investment is expected to exceed $20 million, with approximately $12 million allotted for real property and building improvements, the release said. The project is expected to create 89 full-time jobs upon completion.
U.S. Farathane is working with Kirco Manix Construction LLC, a Troy, Mich.-based real estate development, construction and property management firm, to construct the 100,000-square-foot expansion. According to a Dec. 9 news release from Kirco Manix, the entire project is slated for completion in early June 2020.
"This expansion, as well as related site improvements, will help the company continue to meet the needs of its customers for highly engineered plastic products and materials," Douglas Manix, president of Kirco Manix, said in a statement.
Messages to U.S. Farathane seeking additional comment were not immediately returned.
U.S. Farathane has been operating in Westland since 2007. The company is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., a northern suburb of Detroit. Additionally, it has 16 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, Mexico and China.
The company ranks No. 6 on Plastics News' most recent listing of North American injection molders, with estimated sales for 2018 reaching $830 million. It employs more than 4,400.
U.S. Farathane is owned by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Gores Group LLC, led by Alec Gores, brother of Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores.
