The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), in partnership with Conexus Indiana, made the sixth round of awards, totaling nearly $4 million in Manufacturing Readiness Grants, to 43 Indiana businesses, supporting a projected $46.1 million in technology-enabled capital investment across Indiana.
RV industry suppliers receiving grants include:
- Marson International LLC (Elkhart County; $162,500 grant award) is a tube fabricator, specializing in large and small diameter tubes for diverse customers in gas and diesel chassis, RV, power generation, mass transit and construction machines. The company is investing in robotics and automation for its buffing, bending and cutting processes.
- Skinny Guy Campers LLC (Elkhart County; $37,875 grant award) is a manufacturing startup that manufactures self-contained truck bed campers that fit most North American pick-up trucks. The company is investing in digitized truck bed measurements to enable camper designs custom fitting to more truck models.
- Vista Plastics LLC (Elkhart County; $60,000 grant award) is a plastics extrusion manufacturer. The company is investing in smart equipment to automate various steps in its extrusion production line for cutting more precise lengths.
“Manufacturing is in Indiana’s DNA—we build things,” Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “The demand for the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program has proven time and time again to us that these investments help Hoosiers build things better.”
Launched in 2020, the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program was created to stimulate private sector investments to modernize Indiana’s manufacturing industry. Since then, $17.4 million in grant funding has been awarded to 212 companies in 60 counties, prompting proposed projects with $138.9 million combined budgets and $22 million in estimated new wages.
“Technologies play a critical role in Hoosier manufacturing and are key as we continue to build a tech-savvy economy of the future,” Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers said. “Through the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, we’ll ensure new equipment secures Indiana’s competitive advantage globally, encouraging further capital investment and positioning us to become an even more dominant player in the advanced manufacturing age.”
In recently published case studies, Conexus Indiana provides an in-depth look into various completed projects, highlighting business impact and outcomes. These, along with data analysis from applications and surveys, find:
- Rather than displacing workers, investments in technology are freeing workers from tedious tasks to perform higher-value, higher-paying functions.
- Awards support modernization at primarily small and midsized firms that average 165 employees with long histories of participation in Indiana’s manufacturing economy.
- The majority (68% ) of companies report Manufacturing Readiness Grants have enabled or expanded their technology project scopes and an additional 26% say the grant accelerated project timelines.
“The Manufacturing Readiness Grants program is clearly a powerful tool in our work to ensure that Indiana companies, at all levels of the globally competitive supply chain, adopt the new technologies important for the future of Indiana’s manufacturing economy,” said Mitch Landess, Conexus Indiana vice president of innovation and digital transformation. “Conexus Indiana’s vision is to affirm Indiana as the center of innovation and digital transformation, and it’s clear we are squarely on the path of achieving that distinction.”
