18/12/2002
Tax credits lure suppliers, tech companies to grow in Metro Detroit, adding 1,700 jobs
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP -- One of Metro Detroit's largest auto suppliers plans to build an engineering complex in Plymouth Township to house 700 employees after the company qualified Tuesday for a $20.8 million tax credit from the state.
Robert Bosch Corp.'s expansion, which still needs approval from its German parent company, is one of five projects slated for the area with a combined 1,700 new jobs, said Mark Morante, vice president of development finance for Michigan Economic Development Corp., a quasi-public agency in Lansing.
The state projects it will net $146 million from the five projects while the tax credits -- valued at about $40 million -- remain in place.
The Bosch project joins the supplier's North American automotive headquarters in Farmington Hills, which opened in 1983 and today accommodates 1,300 employees, said Becky MacDonald, a Bosch spokeswoman.
"We own the Farmington Hills headquarters, but we have other employees in Metro Detroit that are in leased facilities," MacDonald said. "Our goal is to operate in owned facilities, so that's why we were looking at Plymouth Township. We will not leave Farmington Hills; rather we plan to operate another facility in Plymouth Township."
The company expects to make a final decision on the project soon, MacDonald said.
In other news, HTC Global Services in Bloomington, Ill., plans to move its headquarters and 500 jobs to Troy after winning a $7.2 million Single Business Tax credit from the state, Morante said. The company, which services the insurance industry, plans to lease a $20 million office in Troy.
Automotive supplier Faurecia, which builds interior components and exhaust systems in Auburn Hills, plans to build a 97,500-square-foot plant to accommodate added production, Morante said. The company received a $7.3 million tax credit to build the operation in Auburn Hills. About 205 new jobs are expected.
Akebono Corp., a Japanese supplier of automotive brakes which has operations in Farmington Hills, plans to build a $54 million plant in Northville Township to expand production. The company garnered a $3.6 million tax credit for the project, which is expected to add 190 jobs.
Advanced Technology Services plans to lease up to 40,000 square feet in Livonia to expand its maintenance and production of industrial parts, Morante said. The company received a $997,000 tax credit, and plans to add 132 jobs.
You can reach R.J. King at (313) 222-2504 or rjking@ detnews.com.