New Schaumburg plant to bring 400 jobs
Schaumburg officials expect to approve an annexation agreement next month that will bring 400 new jobs to the village with the relocation of a prominent Japanese firm's North American headquarters next to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
Sunstar Americas Inc. plans to complete its 302,000-square foot headquarters and manufacturing facility sometime between November 2014 and February 2015.
The company plans to use the facility to manufacture both its existing line of oral health care products as well as possibly expand to other types of products.
The building will occupy more than half the 80 acres Sunstar recently purchased from the Archdiocese of Chicago. The site sits northeast of Medieval Times, north of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway and east of Roselle Road.
The facility was designed by Heitman Architects Inc. in Itasca and will be built by Peak Peak Construction Corp. in Des Plaines.
According to Heitman officials, the three-story building will feature a 350-foot-long gallery overlook running north and south between the offices and factory floor. The gallery's “lantern” on the south end will be a visible beacon for motorists westbound on the tollway.
Other features will include an atrium dining hall, fitness room and 200-seat auditorium.
Sunstar, which already has a presence in Elgin, is an 81-year-old company that provides products and services in more than 90 countries, according to its website.
Having started as a manufacturer of bicycle parts and rubber glue in Japan, the company is now headquartered in Switzerland and has a diverse portfolio.
The Schaumburg facility is proposed to take over production of oral health care products currently manufactured at an aging Chicago plant.
Schaumburg's Planning, Building & Development Committee will consider the proposed annexation agreement at 7 p.m. Thursday before a vote on final approval at the village board meeting at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13.