Autokiniton announces plans to expand Northwest Ohio facility

AUTOKINITON, located in Bellevue, Ohio, in Sandusky County, will invest $15 million and create 150 new jobs to support its growing business. Earlier today, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a Job Creation Tax Credit for the Company.

AUTOKINITON, which is a Tier 1 supplier, was awarded new business to manufacture frames for the Ford F150 Lightning electric truck. The project includes a production assembly line featuring new equipment and machinery. Upgrades will begin in January of 2023 with production expected to launch in August of 2023.

Reid Southby, Chief Operating Officer for AUTOKINITON, pointed to the Bellevue community and the current workforce as a key factor in the global company’s decision to expand at the Bellevue facility.

“We have a highly skilled and trained workforce which is critical when launching a new vehicle in the EV market,” Southby said.

AUTOKINITON has 36 manufacturing & design facilities across the United States, as well as additional manufacturing and design facilities in Mexico, Brazil and India. In total, AUTOKINITION has more than 8.3 million square feet of manufacturing floor space. Globally, the company supports nearly every automotive manufacturer, including emerging EV manufacturers.

The Bellevue facility primarily supplies frames for Ford Motor Company. Inside the facility, 360 associates operate and maintain an incredible array of automated assembly equipment, working together to create quality parts with industry-leading precision and speed. Every two minutes, a completed frame rolls off the assembly line – one of more than 200,000 produced every year in Bellevue. The facility operates a state-of-the-art Electrocoat system that is capable of painting over a thousand frames each day. The facility also operates a rail spur where many of the frames are shipped to two Ford locations via train for final assembly.

“It is because of businesses like Autokiniton that we continue to see economic growth within Sandusky County,” said Beth Hannam, executive director of Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation. “We are excited to see their continued success for years to come and thank them for their continued investment in their Bellevue facility.”

Southby complimented the collaboration of the local, regional and statewide economic development groups, including Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation, the Regional Growth Partnership and JobsOhio, who will also provide Talent Acquisition Services toward workforce attraction.

“With the competitive labor market, the combined groups have helped us validate our decision to expand in Northwest Ohio,” Southby said.

The Regional Growth Partnership is the lead economic development organization serving 17 counties in Northwest Ohio. As a private nonprofit development corporation, the RGP is dedicated to fostering regional, national and international business investment opportunities across the region. The RGP serves as Northwest Ohio’s network partner for JobsOhio. Visit www.rgp.org for more information.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.