DANVILLE, Ill.—Automotive supplier Flex-N-Gate Corp. is doubling the size of its plastics parts plant in Danville.
Mellissa Kendall, Flex-N-Gate director of engineering, said in an email that the 60,000-sq.-ft. operation will nearly double in size. Construction on the estimated $20 million project will begin in the fall and is slated for completion in 2019.
"The new plant will be manufacturing upper and lower grilles for Ford and Toyota," she said.
The investment also includes the purchase of additional equipment, such as injection molding machines, and the creation of 100 new full-time jobs. The Danville plant currently employs 118.
New positions will include plastics and assembly operators, maintenance mechanics, material handlers, mold and plastics processors, among others, Kendall said.
The company will receive a $1.2 million tax credit toward its tax liability from the Illinois Edge program, which provides tax credits to businesses that relocate or expand operations and create jobs in the state.
Flex-N-Gate, a supplier of bumpers, exterior trim, lighting and chassis assemblies, among other auto products, had considered relocating work for the new programs to Veedersburg, Ind., where the company has an existing facility housing its Masterguard L.L.C. division.
The Danville project marks the second expansion this summer for the auto parts giant. In June, Flex-N-Gate was spending more than $175 million to expand into a 430,188-square-foot facility in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Flex-N-Gate ranks No. 33 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $7.55 billion in 2017. The company is owned by billionaire Shahid Khan, who also owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida.
Automotive News is a sister publication to Rubber & Plastics News.