Elk Grove manufacturer expands in Wisconsin
An Elk Grove Village company that manufactures pressure washers for home and industrial markets plans to expand into a large industrial facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
The OEM Industries Division of FNA Group Inc. is establishing a new manufacturing, distribution and research and development facility in Kenosha County.
The move is just one of many that involve Illinois companies moving or adding operations just over the border in Wisconsin.
In the case with FNA Group, the $3 million project is expected to create more than 100 new jobs in Kenosha County.
The Elk Grove Village-based company will occupy a 176,000-square-foot industrial facility in the LakeView Corporate Park that will enable it to manufacture new products, accommodate demand for existing products and establish an R&D/engineering/product development center. The company is expected to begin operations at the plant in January.
The FNA Group will relocate part of its OEM Industries Division operations, which manufactures hoses and distributes pumps and replacement parts, from an existing facility in Arkansas to Pleasant Prairie. The company selected Wisconsin after taking part in a site selection process that involved numerous states, according to a company statement.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is supporting the company's efforts by authorizing up to $700,000 in state tax credits over the next three years. The actual amount of credits awarded will be contingent upon the number of jobs created.
Meanwhile, in late August, Quest Products, a consumer packaged goods company based in Gurnee, announced plans to move its operations across the border to the same business park in Pleasant Prairie.
The company purchased a 44,398-square-foot building at 8201 104th Street in the Village of Pleasant Prairie's LakeView Corporate Park for $3.6 million.
FNA and Quest Products are the latest of several Illinois companies that have moved operations or have announced plans to move to Kenosha County including: Uline, Kenall Manufacturing Co., Hanna Cylinders, EMCO Chemical Distributors Inc., Konecranes, Ta Chen International Inc., L&M Corrugated Container Corp. and Good Foods Group.
• Business Writer Kim Mikus contributed to this report.