The Lima Procter & Gamble plant is the largest manufacturing site for the company in the world. It produces 7% of their total product and will hopefully be producing more.
Tuesday, Allen County Commissioners approved a 15-year 75% tax abatement for the company. The Bath Schools and township trustees have already approved the abatement as well. A new 388,000 square feet manufacturing facility will be built along with a 265,000 square-foot addition to the existing warehouse. The project to expand their “Unstopables” beads business will create 135 new jobs in the area.
John Shaver P & G Lima Plant Manager and senior director of manufacturing explains, “In general, what our jobs are are for people to come in and maintain and do the work on our robotics equipment. We’re very highly automated, this facility will also be highly automated. So we bring in people, We train them to build the skills and capabilities they need to maintain and ensure that we can get the reliability out of the equipment.”
P & G will be investing 500-million dollars in the capital with the project. The Allen Economic Development Group has been working with the company to secure the tax abatement. An abatement is a tool that is used in economic development to encourage companies to make the investment.
Dave Stratton with Allen Economic Development Group says, “All taxes that are paid by the company presently continue to be paid. Any tax abatement is for any kind of market value on the new project. So, we’re not forfeiting any present capital tax.”
Procter and Gamble has been in Allen County since 1968 and currently employs 749 people.
