Topre made its first move to 1100 Reaper Ave. in Springfield in December 2016, when the Japanese auto parts firm announced plans to invest $10 million in a new 20,000-square-foot stamping facility. That investment increased to $55 million and company officials said its Springfield site would be 177,000 square feet and create 85 jobs.
Expansions were announced in early 2018 (adding 138,000 square feet and 204 more jobs) and 2019, to add 78,000 square feet and 71 new jobs.
This expansion adds about 140,000 square feet, bringing the facility to around 750,000 to 800,000 square feet, Topre COO Brad Pepper said. Topre’s presence in Springfield has helped it served its northern customers, and for its southern plant to focus on those customers, he said.
“We really appreciate how the community’s welcomed us and we’re glad it’s continuing to grow,” Pepper said. “The work force is really maturing inside our company. We’re really happy, so we appreciate the opportunities.”
Topre uses metal press-forming technology to create and supply “high-performance components and products” to a variety of industries, including cars, air conditioning systems, temperature-controlled logistics and electronic equipment, according to Thursday’s announcement. The Springfield location is proposed to expand with hot and cold stamping machines and more presses “to support a new contract” with the electric vehicles industry.
Greater Springfield Partnership vice president of economic development Horton Hobbs said Topre’s consistent investment signifies the health of the company and the community. He said it shows that Topre is confident in the community and its customers at the Springfield plant.
“We are very appreciative of Topre’s investment in our community. I think it should be a signal to others that Clark County is very much open for business and is a great place to do business,” Hobbs said
Hobbs said the Springfield job market is “very strong” right now.
Topre was one of eight projects statewide that were approved for tax credits Thursday, including two in Mason and two in the Columbus area. DeWine’s office said all told, the eight projects brought to the board by JobsOhio and its regional partners will create 1,664 new jobs. The tax credit approvals are projected to lead to $185 million in investments and $138 million in new payroll in Ohio.
AtriCure Inc., a medical developer of instruments for atrial fibrillation in Mason, was approved for a state tax credit to help create 400 new full-time jobs and more than $54.9 million in new annual payroll. Mira Precision Health Inc. will create 29 full-time jobs and $2.7 million in new annual payroll at the biohealth diagnostic company, also in Mason.
Gifthealth, Inc. in Columbus was the largest project announced, with a tax credit helping the company to create 751 full-time-equivalent positions, generating more than $56.4 million in new annual payroll. Gifthealth is a health information technology company.
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