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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Ground Effects Invests $3.4 Million In Roanoke, Indiana Manufacturing Plant

07/08/2013
Canadian-based Ground Effects, an automotive installer of spray-in bed liners, will invest $3.4 million to locate a new facility in Roanoke, Indiana, creating up to 160 new jobs by 2017.

The Ontario, Canada-headquartered company will lease and equip a 40,000 square-foot facility located at 13204 Aboite Road in Roanoke. The facility, which will be operational by December, will process bed liners and other automotive accessories for Roanoke's General Motors plant. Ground Effects, which currently employs more than 600 full-time associates across North America, will begin hiring for all production-related positions later this year.

"The innovative application techniques of spray-in bed liners developed by Ground Effects for General Motors will provide consumers with a best-in-class product that complements the new Indiana-built Sierra and Silverado products," said Jim Scott, president of Ground Effects. "This facility will allow General Motors to provide automotive accessories at the factory level instead of shipping out of state or installing at the aftermarket level, which is a huge benefit to Allen County, the home of both light and heavy duty truck manufacturing. The commitment and the assistance offered by the Alliance and the State of Indiana to our project through the planning phase has allowed us to move from concept to reality in a relatively short period of time."

Founded in 1986, Ground Effects is a tier one supplier for major automotive manufacturers, utilizing a highly-refined process to install bed liners on trucks assembled in Roanoke. By centralizing operations near the General Motors assembly plant, the company plans to initially install 20,000 bed liners a year, with full production expected to eventually reach 50,000 a year. Ground Effects also operates locations across Canada, Michigan, Kentucky and Missouri.

"The automotive industry fuels Indiana's economy through investments from innovative companies like Ground Effects," said Gov. Mike Pence. "The road to economic growth and good jobs for Hoosiers is paved by Indiana's pro-growth business environment, where companies know that they'll enjoy the benefits-including low taxes, robust infrastructure and a talented workforce-that come from operating in a state that works for business."

As an incentive, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Ground Effects up to $825,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company's job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. Allen County will consider additional tax abatement at the request of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance.

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