Car parts maker planning to triple workforce in Richmond

An Israel-based manufacturer of aluminum parts for the automotive industry plans to invest $15 million in expanding its Richmond operations and create as many as 200 jobs by the end of 2022.

Omen USA, which opened a 76,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in 2017, intends to finish work next spring on a 21,000-square-foot addition to its facility at 1600 Rich Road. Its investment will include machinery for new production lines.

A subsidiary of Israel-based Omen Casting Group, the company says it needs the addition in Richmond to help meet demand in America and Germany for its aluminum drivelines, steering components and oil pumps.

The company already employs 100 people in Indiana and plans to begin hiring for manufacturing positions in the spring.

The Richmond factory is Omen Casting Group’s first facility in North America. The company received a commitment from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in 2016 for $400,000 in conditional tax credits based on its plans to hire 100 workers by the end of 2020, as well as and $150,000 in training grants good through the end of 2018.

The IEDC has offered Omen $1.6 million in tax credits based on its new job creation plans for as many as 200 workers. The tax credits are conditional, meaning that they can’t be claimed until Indiana workers are hired.

Omen has met its previous IEDC commitment, meaning there’s no overlap on job creation for the new tax incentives, according to an IEDC spokeswoman.

The new jobs are expected to pay about $18 per hour on average, according to Pamela Salo, Omen USA's human resources manager.

The Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County has promised a $237,000 general purpose grant for the company to use to offset expenses for the planned expansion, the purchase of new equipment or for the training of new employees.

Established in 1946, Omen Casting Group also has operations in Israel and Portugal.