Maker of games, puzzles plans $11M expansion in Indiana

Ludo Fact USA LLC, a manufacturer of board games and puzzles, announced plans Tuesday to expand operations in Indiana, adding up to 114 workers by the end of 2024.

The company, owned by Germany-based Ludo Fact GmbH, said it plans to spend $11 million to lease and upgrade machinery and equipment at its 65,500-square-foot facility at 4775 Dale Drive in Lafayette.

Ludo said the upgrades will help it increase production and support the company’s growing U.S. customer base.

Ludo Fact GmbH established its U.S. presence by acquiring Lafayette-based Jessup Paper in 2016. A year later, it announced plans to spend $13 million on an expansion that would add 75 jobs at the plant.

The company, which has 900 workers worldwide, employs 110 associates people in Indiana. It is already hiring production staff to support future growth.

The plant manufactures board games, jigsaw puzzles and a variety of packaging products, such as rigid boxes, slipcases and other specialty items.

Worldwide, Ludo Fact produces more than 17 million board games and puzzles a year for 200 game publishers worldwide.

Ludo Fact USA increased sales by more than 50% from 2019 to 2020. To keep up with U.S. demand, the company added a second shift in Lafayette last year, hired 30 new employees and leased an additional 48,000-square-foot adjacent warehouse.

Lee Ramsey, vice president of sales for Ludo Fact USA, said Lafayette’s central location allows the company “to reach the majority of our customers’ warehouse and distribution centers within two days.” He also praised the quality of the local workforce.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Ludo Fact USA up to $825,000 in conditional tax credits based on the latest job-creation plans. The incentives contract dates to last year, when Ludo had 87 employees.

Tippecanoe County is considering additional incentives.

Ludo previously collected $400,000 in tax credits from the IEDC for the expansion it announced in 2017.