Business

Elkamet announces $4.6 million expansion

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 4, 2022

Elkamet has announced plans for a $4.6 million expansion of its East Flat Rock plant that will make the facility its U.S. headquarters.

This expansion, the company's fourth since it located here in 2006, includes a $3.6 million investment in real property, $1 million in business personal property and the creation of at least five new positions with an average wage exceeding $53,000 annually.

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday night took the first step in authorizing $112,312 in economic development incentives over eight years for the project.

“Elkamet is proud to continue to invest in Henderson County," said Carsten Erkel, company vice president and general manager of the East Flat Rock plant. "Our employees and this community have been instrumental in our success in the United States, and we’re excited to keep this momentum going with additional employees and equipment to support our company’s rapid growth." With the new investment the company plans to add two engineers and three factory techs to its workforce, Erkel said Monday night.

Founded in Germany’s industrial heartland in 1955, Elkamet is a family-operated manufacturing company with products used across the vehicle and lighting industries. It produces extruded profiles from industrial polymer materials for automobiles as well as PA/PE/X-PE tanks for fuel and hydraulic systems for building construction machinery and fork trucks. Since opening its Henderson County plant 16 years ago, the company has announced four expansions, making more than $20 million worth of taxable investment and adding 160 employees in the community.
“Elkamet has been a major community partner and its continuous investment in our community raises the quality of life for everyone," Henderson County Board of Commissioners Chair Bill Lapsley said in a news release. "We’re excited to see it create more high-quality jobs for the talented citizens of Henderson County.”

Elkamet is a long-time supporter of the Made In Henderson County Apprenticeship, a work-based learning program for recent high school graduates and other residents in Henderson County. The company has been a participating employer in the program since it began in 2018, spearheading the push from manufacturers to foster and develop young talent. Working alongside other participating companies, Elkamet hosts, mentors and financially supports several apprentices each year, helping develop them into well-prepared members of Henderson County’s workforce.