Harting announces $6 million expansion in Elgin
Daily Herald staff report
German manufacturer Harting announced a $6 million expansion of its North American headquarters in Elgin Friday, a project slated to create at least 50 new jobs.
"Illinois was the right fit for this new expansion due to the unrivaled workforce and strategic location," Harting North America President and CEO Jon DeSouza said in a news release. "We are proud of our contributions to Illinois' manufacturing legacy, and this next phase in our journey will only build upon our current successes within the North American market."
Harting, a family-owned company founded in 1945, manufactures products for the connector industry for use in mechanical and plant engineering, broadcast and entertainment, factory automation, power generation and distribution as well as industrial electronics and telecommunications. It employs 112 Illinoisans.
The investment will include the addition of a lab and showroom to the on-site warehouse and distribution center, and will increase capabilities for injection molding and die-casting processes, the release stated.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor David Kaptain took part in the announcement Friday.
The state had been working with Harting on the project since early this year, Rauner said in the release. Rauner met with leaders of Harting in April at their world headquarters in Espelkamp, Germany during a trade mission to Germany and Poland.
"It is essential that Illinois continues to foster a competitive business environment that not only keeps great companies like Harting here but attracts new ones from across the globe," Rauner said.
Mark Tomkins, president and CEO of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, praised the work. "We look forward to ongoing successful cooperation with our member company Harting North America and the state of Illinois through our ICATT apprenticeship program and other initiatives."
"The city of Elgin, Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and Elgin Development Group are so pleased that Harting has decided to expand in Elgin," Kaptain said. "Their long-term investment and growth in our community is a result of everyone working together to make Elgin a better place."
The company anticipates having the new portion of their manufacturing facility up and running in January, the release said.