Italian company to expand Schaumburg operation

A group launched last fall to address the recession and generate wealth in the Schaumburg area has scored an economic victory.

The Schaumburg Center for Economic Development announced Tuesday that high-tech automotive parts manufacturer MTA USA Corp. will expand its modest warehouse distribution center on Tower Road into a larger manufacturing and assembly operation — due largely to the organization’s efforts.

The 35,000-square-foot building will serve as the new North American headquarters and sales office for MTA, a $180-million company based in Codogno, Italy. The facility’s location won’t be disclosed until a lease is signed.

The move, which is expected to result in a $2 million capital investment and five new jobs, is a big step up from when the company approached the Schaumburg CED a few months ago simply looking to expand its warehouse by less than half its current 5,000-square-foot space.

“It shows the true power of our public/private partnership for economic development and the value we can provide to clients when we pool our resources together through the Schaumburg Center for Economic Development,” Vice President of Development Jim Feltman said.

Those resources, Feltman said, included showing MTA what Schaumburg can offer from plastics molders to Italian-speaking accountants.

The Schaumburg CED was created last year under the umbrella of the Schaumburg Business Association through a partnership with the village. Investors include private entities, the Daily Herald among them.

Anticipating significant growth in the U.S., leaders at MTA USA said it will embark on a second larger expansion within the next three years, investing $30 million to add 50 new jobs and construct a 90,000-square-foot facility.

Feltman said the CED will work tirelessly to show them the project should take place in Schaumburg, which currently has about 2.7 million square feet of vacant office and industrial space.

“We’re going to show them there’s an extreme value in staying here and growing here,” he said. “We can overcome the challenges of being in Cook County and Illinois with the resources we have.”