A company involved in a ground-breaking project that used 3D printing to make a replica of a prized sports car and a Delaware automotive aftermarket equipment manufacturer serving the high performance market are on their way to receiving grants that would bring operations to the New Castle area.
The Delaware Council for Development Finance Monday approved a financial package for Techmer Engineered Solutions, LCC (TES). a subsidiary of Techmer PM, LLC.
A Strategic Fund Performance grant for $315,879 was recommended for the relocation of 42 new full-time positions and the creation of 12 new full-time positions by December 31, 2018.
The total incentive package approved by the council is not to exceed $375,879.
TES is planning to create a total of 75 positions, 54 of which are eligible for the incentive.
According to filings, TES, has been growing and the current facilities in Pennsylvania no longer meet the needs of the business. Senior management decided to consolidate several buildings and looks to expand under one roof.
The Delaware Economic Development Office has been in discussion with TES since September 2014. A site was recently selected at 1600 Johnson Way in New Castle, Delaware. All Pennsylvania positions will be moved within the first year of operation. TES make composite materials that can be used in a variety of industries that include the automotive arena.
TES opened a production sites in Clinton, Tenn. in 2005 and another in Rancho Domiguez, California in 2012.
A second grant was approved for Resource International, Inc., an automotive aftermarket equipment manufacturer that operates under the Mishimoto brand. Recommendations of the council go to the Secretary of the Delaware Economic Development Office for final action.
The financial package for Resource International consist of a Strategic Fund Convertible loan for $119,925 to assist with its $1,273,000 project costs including equipment, recruitment costs, and relocation to a 28,000 square foot warehouse on Boulden Circle in New Castle. Resource International will create 24 new qualifying full-time permanent positions in the Delaware as part of the expansion.
Resource International was established in 2005 by owner Michael Sullivan. In October 2012, Resource International employed five people in its corporate office on Denny Road near Wilmington.
Resource International has currently 38 full-time employees with 36 working in Delaware.
The company sells aluminum radiators and other automotive aftermarket equipment under the Mishimoto name for racing and street use. It already has an engineering center in the Boulden Circle area that uses 3D printing in developing projects. (See video below). The company noted that its products are used by the highway patrol in the heat and humidity of Singapore.
TES came to Pennsylvania with the purchase in 2013. of assets of TP Composites a formulator and engineering plastics manufacturer. The purchase expanded the company’s presence in automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, consumer products, medical, and electronics, according to the company website.
Techmer made news when it was part of a project that used 3D printing to make an electric sports car, the first time such a project had been done.
The project that replicated a 1965 Shelby Cobra included Techmer ES, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and several other partners. The process used carbon fiber to make the car.
The Shelby Cobra replica can travel up to 75 MPH. It cost about $50,000 to make, a price tag that includes materials, battery, drive-train, finish, and labor, according to a Techmer release.
The company noted that President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden got a chance to look at the car during a visit to the company’s Tennessee site early this year. The company sees many of its materials as candidates for 3D printing.
Biden was a U.S. Senator from Delaware prior to becoming vice president. He is also a car enthusiast who owns a Chevrolet Corvette, but is no longer allowed to drive, due to Secret Service restrictions.
The news on Techmer is the latest development in an effort by DEDO to bring manufacturing jobs to the state and help fill up vacant industrial space.
