Wynright to close suburban facilities with move to Indiana
Daifuku Wynright Corp. will close its headquarters in Elk Grove Village and another facility in Oak Lawn once it completes its move to a larger facility in Hobart, Indiana, at the end of the year.
The manufacturer of material handling systems confirmed the closings in a statement Wednesday, saying it would begin relocation in August, with completion in December. All employees were offered the opportunity to relocate to the new facility, and the company said more than 80 percent have committed to moving.
The manufacturer of material handing systems such as conveyors and sorting system is spending $26 million on a 320,400-square-foot facility on 44 acres at the Northwind Crossings business park along Interstate 65 in Hobart. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation is providing up to $5.9 million in tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants, based on the company's job creation plans. The city of Hobart and NIPSCO, the local gas and electric utility, are also offering incentives, according to a IEDC spokesman.
Wynright CEO Kevin Ambrose said with the consolidation of facilities the company hopes to double sales over the next five years.
Ambrose said the company looked at several properties in the Chicago area. It evaluated nine properties in Illinois: three in Bolingbrook, three in Romeoville, Hazel Crest, New Lenox, and Sauk Village; and seven in Indiana, including two in Hobart, Merrillville, Crown Point, Munster, Hammond, and East Chicago,
"The Hobart location met our major concerns best. It is still in the Greater Chicagoland area. It had a 44 acre plot of land that could support the space we needed," Ambrose said. "It has an excellent school system, affordable housing; a low overall cost of living, and a large and talented manufacturing labor pool,"
The Indiana tax credits are based on the company's projections of creating 582 new jobs by 2021. Daifuku Wynright officials said those new jobs would come from administrative, engineering and manufacturing positions.