SMC Corp. of America plans to spend $19 million to expand its North American headquarters in Noblesville, making room for an additional 163 employees by 2017, the company announced Tuesday.

SMC, which develops and makes pneumatic automation equipment, said it will expand its current facility by 600,000 square feet, to almost 1.5 million square feet. Work is set to begin this month and be finished by September. The company employs more than 600 workers in Noblesville.

The city of Noblesville has approved 10-year phase-in tax abatement for the expansion.

SMC,  based in Japan, moved its North American headquarters from Indianapolis to a Noblesville in 2009. The city approved more than $10 million in bonds for road improvements around a 95-acre site near 146th Street and Cumberland Road to lure the manufacturer to its corporate campus. SMC also received $4 million in tax credits from the state and nearly $5 million from Noblesville in tax and utility breaks to make the move.

The company spent more than 20 years in Indianapolis but said it needed to move to Hamilton County because it couldn’t find enough space in Marion County to accommodate planned expansions.