3/21/14 - The Brighton City Council has set the stage for a major expansion of the Eberspaecher plant â one that will result in at least hundred new full-time jobs. After a presentation by company officials, council Thursday night unanimously approved a request by ENA for the maximum amount of tax abatement allowed by law. City Manager Dana Foster tells WHMI although the tax break on real property is for 12 years, the abatement on personal property is for seven years because by law, an abatement cannot be for more than the useful life of the equipment. Foster says another new aspect of the project discussed by ENA President Doug Swick at the meeting was that with the expansion, production would be gradually increased and could end up in well over the 100 new jobs originally projected. Eberspaecher, based in Germany, is a global manufacturer of advanced auto and truck exhaust systems. The Brighton plant, on Orndorf Drive, makes catalytic converters and other exhaust components for large trucks. With council approval, the company now plans to invest in a 191,000-square-foot addition to the original, 110,000-square-foot plant, which opened in 2003. That would increase the plant size to over 300,000 square feet, making it the largest ENA facility in North America, and the fifth expansion of the Brighton plant. The company will invest about $60 million in the project, aided by a $4.5 million Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant, which was contingent on Thursday nightâs approval. Even with the tax abatement, the additional investment in its Brighton plant is projected to increase the amount of tax revenue the city receives from ENA to $415,000 over the next six years. Swick hopes to begin construction in the third or fourth quarter of this year and be open with the new facilities by the end of 2015. (TT)
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