A Spanish-based group of companies with roots in the defense industry that go back all the way to the year 1573 will establish the Michigan town of Shelby Township as its North American headquarters in the year 2018.
SAPA Transmission Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Spain’s SAPA Group, has announced that it will locate its headquarters in Shelby Township, where the company already leases a research and development center. This fall the company also plans on breaking ground on a new Shelby Township production facility, which is expected to open in 2020.
As a result of the investment, the company is receiving a $2.676 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant from the state and a 50 percent property tax abatement from Shelby Township.
It’s expected that the project will generate a total capital investment of $40.1 million and create 223 jobs. Michigan was chosen over competing sites in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
"Our commitment to Michigan reflects our confidence in the state’s workforce, industrial supplier base, and economic future and our recognition that it is the right fit for the next chapter in our company’s American story," said Vice President at SAPA Transmission Deniz Balta.
"We thank the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, local leaders from Shelby Township and beyond, and others who helped to make today’s announcement a reality and we look forward to growing a successful partnership in the years to come."
SAPA plans its Shelby Township location will help grow its transmission sales within the defense sector, something that Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel believes more than possible.
"As a global leader in defense innovation, SAPA will feel right at home with the more than 600 defense contractors located here," he says.
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