Major expansion
Tigerpoly intends to add 105,000 square feet to its 192,000-sq.-ft. factory, which sits on 32 acres.
It also will add about 40 employees to the plant's present work force of 395, Vanover said, along with additional machinery and equipment, primarily injection molding machines. He added that it's likely the new personnel will be brought on board in 2020 and 2021.
A JobsOhio official said new positions being filled at the site include material handling, production and quality assurance positions.
JobsOhio likely will offer assistance, in the form of a grant, once a final agreement with the company is executed, a spokesman for JobsOhio said. However, as of mid-October, grant figures had not been posted.
Construction of the addition was slated to begin in the fall, but completion of that part of the project has not been determined.
Vanover said the company—a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Tigers Polymer Corp.—is expanding in Grove City because the firm wanted to leverage its commitment to the Columbus region, which is already home "to a robust automotive industry and friendly business climate, allowing us to remain in a cost-competitive market from both a geographical and labor perspective."
The firm's decision to remain in the community heartened Grove City Mayor Ike Stage.
"Grove City offers locally based companies like Tigerpoly stability and longevity, which are important elements for success in the automotive sector," he said in a statement. "The company has been a key employer in our community for more than 30 years and its additional $10 million investment will ensure it continues to have a positive impact on the Columbus region's economy."
Another advantage for the company is its close proximity to Honda Manufacturing Inc., which operates three plants in Ohio—in Marysville, Anna and East Liberty. Tigerpoly provides components to those sites, so that was a factor, Vanover said.
While the Grove City facility produces components for numerous businesses in Ohio, it has a wide ranging reach. The factory serves customers throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada, he said.
Tigerpoly's facility in Grove City, which began operations in 1987, is the firm's only production plant in the U.S. The company's parent—founded as Tigers Rubber Works in 1938—operates 12 manufacturing and research and development complexes in six countries.
Vanover said Tigerpoly produces a variety of components for auto makers at its factory, including engine covers, reserve tanks, air intake ducts, air cleaner modules, air conditioning ducts, air flow tubes, resonator chambers and transmission parts.
It uses a number of raw materials to produce components, including rubber, thermoplastic elastomers, nylon and polypropylene (talc-filled, glass-filled and unfilled). The firm's vast lines of equipment include numerous blow molding machines, vertical rubber injection machines and plastic molding machines.
Tigerpoly's planned expansion is its second at the Grove City plant. In 2002, the company increased its capabilities at the factory with the addition of an R&D center.