A mid-October 2004 review of Conway Data's New Plant information in Indiana showed that more than a third of 2004's projects were automotive-related, with the largest being Autoliv's $37-million investment in Columbia City, about 20 miles (32 km.) west of Fort Wayne, home to a General Motors assembly plant.
      But that was before Magna Drivetrain of America, Inc., a division of automotive parts supplier Magna International Inc., came along in late October with a $73-million investment in a transfer case production plant in Muncie that will supply General Motors. The project garnered a $4.6-million incentive package from the state, and a $6.7-million package from the City of Muncie and Delaware County.

Port Sees FTZ Space Multiply by Factor of 30 In October 2004, the 1,000-acre (405-hectare) Clark Maritime Center at the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville near Louisville was awarded foreign-trade zone (FTZ) status by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zone Board in Washington, D.C., expanding the designation from the property's original 35-acre (14.2-hectare) FTZ.       "To create a foreign-trade zone prior to this, port companies would have to undergo a year-long approval process and pay $20,000 to $25,000 in administration fees," said Port Director Michael O'Connor. "We can now tell prospects their foreign-trade zone will be up and running within 90 days instead of 15 to 18 months."       Executives with Roll Forming Corp. said they plan to take advantage of their new FTZ status at the 20-year-old Ports of Indiana property, where 12 steel-related companies helped the port realize a 95-percent year-on-year jump in steel tonnage handled through October 2004. An equal number of steel companies operate at the Ports' Burns Harbor property up north, including Feralloy Corp., which is investing $2 million and adding 30 to 50 new jobs.       What many may not be aware of is that the Ports of Indiana has also conferred sub-zone status around the state, for such companies as Bristol-Myers Squibb in Evansville, Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Princeton and Great Lakes Industrial Center in Gary.       In November 2004, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly used the Ports facility in Burns Harbor to handle 44 incoming containers from Sweden's Pharmadule Emtunga, a supplier of modular systems to the pharma/ biotech, oil and gas and telecom industries. The containers held modules for a new, self-contained pharmaceutical facility being constructed in Indianapolis, part of the company's hometown build-out announced a few years ago. A Lilly spokesperson was unable to share information about the building's dimensions and purpose, but did say the prefab method shortens Lilly's construction time considerably — "enough to make it worth it."

      The Autoliv airbag plant will double its space to 240,000 sq. ft. (22,296 sq. m.) while adding 678 jobs to its current payroll of 322. That project nabbed almost $12.4 million in state and local incentives and support, including a 10-year tax abatement from Whitley County. The plant's reputation has earned that support, as it won the prestigious Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence in 2003 and was honored in 2004 by IndustryWeek as one of the best plants in the nation. The original plant was built in 1956 by Morton Automotive Safety, and acquired by Sweden's Autoliv AB in 1996. It serves Toyota's Princeton, Ind., truck plant as well as several other OEMs.
      In New Albany, automotive interior component maker and Toyota affiliate supplier TG Missouri Corp. is investing $16.5 million in a 34,000-sq.-ft. (3,159-sq.-m.) plant that will employ some 130 people. Expected to be in operation by the end of 2005, the factory will make components ranging from instrument panels to steering wheels to airbags.
      Owned by TG North America, the U.S. base for Japanese firm Toyoda Gosei, the Troy, Mich.-based company gets its name from its only U.S. manufacturing location until now: Perryville, Mo., south of St. Louis, where it opened a plant in 1987 and employs 1,200 people. Its location in southern Indiana is as good an indication as any of the shift in the nation's automotive corridors. But even so, the company headquarters is expanding in Michigan, as is its fluid systems division.
      Automotive upgrade is what's on the minds of Fort Wayne economic developers, as General Motors mulls an expansion at its 20-year-old plant there, one of many GM expansions either under way or awaiting go-ahead across the U.S.
      To help Fort Wayne break out of the gate, a 10-year tax abatement was approved by the Allen County Council in October 2004, equating to more than $4 million in savings for the prospective $176-million, 203-job expansion. [Editor's note: This project came to fruition in late January 2005. For the whole story, click here.]
      How significant are these potential automotive investments to Indiana? According to an October 2004 report, Toyota has invested more than $2.59 billion directly into its Princeton plant, after the original estimate was a mere $700 million.
      The City of Fort Wayne is also doing its part, announcing a $35-million bond plan in October 2004 that will direct $25 million toward city infrastructure projects and $10 million toward economic development and downtown projects. The plan came on the heels of state approval of a Community Revitalization Enhancement District in Fort Wayne, which allows the City to capture increased sales and income tax dollars generated by new investment in downtown. It also means qualifying downtown investments can garner a 25-percent investment tax credit.