FRANKFORT Ky. (July 12, 2012) — ZF Rubber & Plastics Hebron LLC will expand its Northern Kentucky manufacturing operation, adding more than 60 new jobs to its current full-time workforce of 206.
The company’s $17.9 million investment will increase the existing Hebron facility by 52,000 s.f. and allow for the purchase of new equipment to manufacture bushings, engine mounts, anti-vibration products and plastics components for the automotive industry.
“We’re pleased to see growth here in Northern Kentucky, especially from a company that has been such an important part of this community for nearly two decades,” said Gov. Steve Beshear.
ZF Rubber & Plastics Hebron, which began operations in Hebron in 1994, is one of ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s (ZF) 121 global production facilities. German-owned ZF, a leading automotive supplier for driveline and chassis technology with a presence in 27 countries, has nearly 71,500 employees worldwide and is among the world’s top 10 largest automotive suppliers.
“We recently acquired new business that created capacity constraints, which is good news for our company and the community,” said Sam Sato, managing director, ZF Rubber & Plastics Hebron LLC. “The business and government collaboration on this project has been outstanding and contributes to our ability to meet the aggressive timeline for the expansion; construction began in late June and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2012.”
Kentucky is home to more than 440 automotive-related companies that employ more than 68,000 people. Additionally, Kentucky ranks third highest in auto industry-related employment as a percent of total state employment among the top motor vehicle producing states in the U.S. Kentucky also boasts more than 400 foreign-owned companies representing 30 nations, including Germany, employing nearly 76,000 people.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved ZF for tax incentives up to $500,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
“Manufacturing is the heartbeat of industry,” said Sen. John Schickel, of Union. “It’s always good when a company finds such success with their workforce that expansion of that workforce becomes part of the business plan. I congratulate ZF and Hebron.”
For more information on ZF Rubber & Plastics Hebron, visit www.zf.com/corporate/en/company/locations_worldwide/north_america/united-states_locations/united-states.jsp.
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