Materials science, prototyping and applied engineering firm L&L Products Inc. plans to invest $25 million and create 65 jobs in Romeo, Mich., to support production for the automotive industry.
The family-owned company will expand with help from a $450,000 performance-based grant from the state, according to a Jan. 19 news release from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office.
The 140,000-square-foot addition will include expansive warehousing and space for two-shot molding production for the company, which specializes in composite components, static sealing, acoustics, vibration reduction and structural reinforcements for auto, aerospace and commercial vehicles.
"We're really proud of L&L's 65-year history in Michigan," Tom Kleino, president of L&L Products Americas, said in the release. "It made sense to continue expanding our Romeo campus, and we look forward to providing jobs and supporting the local community with this investment."
Since opening in 1961, the company has grown to more than 1,300 employees at nine plants around the world. Around 525 are based in Michigan.
"The planned expansion in Romeo will ensure that L&L remains a major economic driver in the north end of the county," Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said in a news release.
In addition to the state incentive, the project is also being supported by a 50 percent tax abatement from the village of Romeo.
The "advanced manufacturing" jobs will pay an average wage of $1,385 per week plus benefits, according to an MEDC briefing document.
The incentives are needed to lure L&L away from South Carolina, where it operates a plant and has been offered a $6 million incentives package including workforce training, business tax incentives, a land grant and property tax incentives.
"The company is interested in expanding in Michigan due to its existing location in the Village of Romeo and the 60 plus years the company has called Michigan its home," the MEDC said.