Manufacturer to relocate to Muncie, add 288 jobs

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A new manufacturer of heavy equipment that uses clean energy plans to move its corporate headquarters from South Carolina to Muncie, invest $4.6 million in an engineering and assembly facility, and create as many as 288 jobs within four years.

DD Dannar LLC, based in Greenville, S.C., announced Wednesday that it planned to relocate and produce a vehicle named the Dannar Mobile PowerStation, according to Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.

The company initially will occupy 25,000 square feet in the Business Center facility at 4620 W. Bethel Ave. The firm plans to add space as its operations grow, investing as much as $4.6 million in equipment, technology and other improvements over four years.

CEO Gary Dannar was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. The Mobile PowerStation will be the firm’s first product, and the Muncie operations in the Business Center will be its first facility, said Terry Murphy, vice president of economic development for the alliance.

DD Dannar’s earliest corporate filing with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office was Feb. 1, 2011, according to the office’s website.

The company is expected to employ 20 workers in its first year, and then ramp up hiring as the facility is finished and customers place orders, according to the alliance. The average pay is expected to be $27.33 per hour.

“High-tech engineering and vehicle assembly, significant capital investment, and good-paying jobs are what Muncie and so many communities are aggressively seeking. DD Dannar LLC provides all of these,” Mayor Dennis Tyler said in prepared comments.

Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered DD Dannar up to $2.6 million in conditional tax credits and $25,000 in training grants based on the company’s job-creation plans, according to the alliance. The firm cannot claim the credits until jobs are created.

Delaware County Redevelopment Commission is considering a package of incentives including a $150,000 low-interest loan, free rent in the Business Center and $500,000 in improvements to the facility.

Mobile PowerStation is a hybrid-electric maintenance vehicle aimed at government and military customers.
 

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