Tinley Park, Ill.-based UGN Inc. — an automotive parts manufacturer, and a joint venture between
Japan-based Nihon Tokushu Toryo Co. and Switzerland-based Rieter Automotive Systems — is investing
more than $3 million to expand its Valparaiso, Ind., plant, adding up to 28 positions to its
current workforce of 250 by 2011.
UGN’s 180,000-square-foot Valparaiso plant manufactures carpets, foam dash insulators,
wheelhouse insulators, engine-side absorbers and textile mudguards. The company will begin
construction on a 16,000-square-foot addition this month to house a line that will produce raw
materials used inside a vehicle’s engine bay, and expects the line to be operational in March 2011.
The expansion follows UGN’s announcement in July 2009 that it would invest more than $3
million to launch a new product line and expand manufacturing space in Valparaiso, adding 100 jobs
in the process. UGN posted revenue gains during the recession, and is forecasting a 35-percent
growth in year-end revenue for 2010 over 2009. The company has expanded its workforce by 30 percent
in the last year.
“Part of our strategy is to vertically integrate the business to ensure long-term viability
as a world-class manufacturer,” said Peter Anthony, CEO, UGN. “We are excited to be expanding in
communities where we already are successful.”
November 2, 2010
