High-tech mobility company plans lab, 50 high-paying jobs in Westfield

Aptive Plc, a mobility tech company formerly known as Delphi Automotive, plans to open an engineering lab in Westfield that will create 50 high-paying jobs, the city announced Monday night.

The company plans to lease 53,000 square feet inside the Westfield Business Centre and invest more than $9 million in property and equipment.

The building, 17001-17075 Oak Ridge Road, is southwest of the intersection of U.S. 31 and State Road 32.

The jobs created will pay an average wage of almost $80,000 annually, the city said. Work in the lab will include environmental testing, product/material analysis and on-vehicle development.

“The team at Aptiv will be working on future-focused technology, and I could not be more excited to welcome them to Westfield,” Westfield Mayor Andy Cook said in written remarks. “These are exactly the types of high-tech investments we have been working to attract. This is a statement that our community can attract a diverse workforce to support this kind of innovation.”

The Westfield City Council on Monday approved a 5-year personal property tax abatement for the company phased in at 20% a year.

Westfield Business Centre, a 133,000-square-foot spec building that opened a year ago, is now fully leased. Other tenants are Grinds LLC, ETI Fab and 3rd Dimension Industrial Printing.

Aptiv, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, was formed in May 2017 when Delphi Automotive Plc spun off its Powertrain Systems segment, which included its engine management systems and aftermarket operations, into Delphi Technologies Plc.

The remaining company was renamed Aptiv. It focuses on electrical/electronic architecture (vehicle electrical systems) and electronics and safety (software and sensing systems, computing platforms, advanced safety systems and automated driving).

The company reported full-year 2018 revenue of $14.4 billion, an increase of 12% from the prior year.