Statewide – The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), in partnership with Conexus Indiana, announced the second round of awards totaling approximately $3 million to 31 Indiana businesses in Manufacturing Readiness Grants, which Governor Eric J. Holcomb first announced in May. The grants are part of the Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement (EASE) program designed to stimulate manufacturing investments that will position Hoosier operations, and the sector overall, for future growth and prosperity.
The 31 manufacturers receiving grants represent 21 Indiana counties and cover a wide range of specialties, including automotive, aerospace and defense, agriculture, machinery and construction, consumer packaging products, and health care and medical. Together, these businesses plan to invest more than $19.3 million in technology and equipment to position their businesses for future growth by increasing capacity and modernizing operations. Four of the manufacturers – EARL Solutions LLC, Helmer Scientific LLC, Hightech Signs and Trinity Guardion LLC – are accelerating operational investments in health care manufacturing technology to support critical COVID-19 response efforts.
Southeastern Indiana Recipients include:
• Decatur Mold, Tool and Engineering Inc. (Jennings County; $65,000 grant award), founded in 1966 and based in North Vernon, provides tool design and mold manufacturing services. The company is investing in robotics and electrode handling for Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) to enable continuous production and a fully automated and smart process.
• Decatur Plastic Products LLC (Jennings County; $98,000 grant award), based in North Vernon, provides high-quality injection molding, flocking, assembly, and finishing services along with expert engineering assistance and material recommendations. The company is investing in a new flocking line driven by robotics.
• EARL Solutions LLC (Jackson County; $100,000 grant award) recently spun out from a Carmel-based distillery in order to manufacture hand sanitizer to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The company is investing in automated liquid fill equipment and label-making equipment.
• Georg Utz Inc. (Bartholomew County; $50,000 grant award) headquartered in Switzerland with a production facility in Edinburgh since 2009, develops and produces reusable plastic transport devices for automated and manual systems across various industries. The company is implementing a full Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with interconnectivity between machines and IOT sensors, material planning, production control and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
• Trinity Guardion LLC (Ripley County; $200,000 grant award) based in Batesville and founded in 2010, manufactures a launderable microbarrier for hospital mattresses and is investing to start in-house production of hospital bed barriers to prevent cross infection risk between patients.
The IEDC initially made $4 million available for Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grants and has since been able to expand the awards for Hoosier manufacturers with support of CARES Act funding. The awards are issued in the form of matching grants up to or equal to the amount of the qualified investment in new equipment and machinery (minimum 1:1 investment match).
