Fort Wayne makes new push to keep Navistar operation

Fort Wayne officials are making a new push at persuading Navistar Inc. to keep its truck design center with more than 800 workers in the city after the company dropped plans to move its operations to a Chicago suburb.

Navistar had been working for months on a proposal to open a combined truck and engine design center in Lisle, Ill., but residents there raised concerns about noise and safety.

"The process just evolved into an unreasonable process for us," said Don Sharp, Navistar's vice president and chief information officer. "At this point in time, we need to step back. We haven't given much thought at all to all the options."

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance has made proposals to the company to move its engine center from Melrose Park, Ill., to Fort Wayne.

Alliance President Andi Udris said Wednesday the group will update its offer to Navistar and that it would be less expensive for the company to place the combined center in Fort Wayne than it would have cost in Lisle.

"There's no question I would believe it's viable," he said.

Navistar has a test track and its Truck Reliability Center in Fort Wayne, along with the Truck Design and Technology Center. The company's predecessor, International Harvester Co., once had about 10,500 workers in the city before closing its assembly plant in 1983.

Sharp said the company didn't yet know what options it would consider.

"We haven't really sorted through all the options," he said. "It's a very long process and a difficult one."