LANSING – The Michigan Economic Development Corporation today announced Michigan Strategic Fund approval of a $300,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant for Fontijne Formitt to expand its operations and establish a new production line in Milton Township, a project that will generate approximately $2.6 million in capital investment and add up to 31 new jobs.
?Michigan leads the nation in manufacturing jobs growth, and the new jobs resulting from Fontijne Formitt?s expansion will keep us moving in the right direction,? said MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney. ?The company?s decision to invest and add jobs here is a strong statement that Michigan offers one of the nation?s best business climates to growing companies.?
Fontijne Formitt, Inc. was founded when its parent company Fontijne Grotnes Group acquired metal forming intellectual property of Hess Industrial, a metal fabrication company based in Niles. The company plans to produce a type of tubular component for the exhaust of catalytic converters for gas and diesel engines, expanding in a facility in Milton Township (Cass County). The company will add 31 new jobs and invest $2.6 million for the project, resulting in a $300,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over an existing facility in Illinois. Milton Township plans to support the project with a 12-year tax abatement at an estimated value of $62,000.
?It?s a great day for Milton Township and the surrounding communities,? said Fontijne Formitt, Inc. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mike Walker. ?We look forward to leveraging the excellent employment and vendor base that exists in this area. We are excited to pick Michigan as our home.?
