Auto firm to invest $14M, add 195 jobs at Dundee plant
DUNDEE — An automotive manufacturing firm announced a $14 million investment in its Dundee facility that is expected to create up to 195 new jobs.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined a group of business, state and local officials to celebrate the expansion of EOI Pioneer’s operations in the Village of Dundee. She thanked the automotive electronics manufacturer for investing in Michigan, creating new jobs for Michiganders and highlighting Michigan’s manufacturing industry.
“Michigan’s business climate and highly skilled manufacturing workforce provide an environment where businesses like EOI Pioneer can grow and thrive, creating good-paying jobs for Michiganders in Monroe County,” Whitmer said. “This is great news for working people, their families and our economy as we continue our economic jumpstart and put Michigan back to work. With the help of companies like EOI Pioneer, we can continue to push forward to make our state’s economy stronger than ever.”
The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $14 million and create up to 195 new jobs with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund. Michigan was chosen for the project over competing sites in Ohio, Ontario and Tennessee.
Whitmer spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday and tour of the company’s manufacturing facility in Dundee. The project has been awarded a $1 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Tim Lake, president and CEO of the Monroe County Business Development Corporation, welcomed the investment.
“We have enjoyed working with the company over the last several weeks and are excited that they have decided to expand in Dundee,” Lake said. “We appreciate the great jobs they bring to our community. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship for many years to come.”
EOI Pioneer Inc. is a subsidiary of Excellence Optoelectronics, Inc., a Taiwan-based manufacturer of LED light sources and electronics assemblies for the automotive industry. EOI is seeing substantial growth in its global automotive business and created EOI Pioneer to begin manufacturing in North America in 2001.
The company plans to establish new manufacturing operations in an existing building at its site in Dundee. The manufacturing area will be converted to electrostatic discharge and temperature- and humidity-controlled clean enclosure for a cutting-edge electronics manufacturing process to fulfill the rapidly growing automotive electronics demand.
“It’s our goal to become one of the pioneers of innovative light sources in the automotive industry, to create value to our customers and to make a big contribution to the world,” said EOI Chairman and President Fanny Huang. “Today as we celebrate this facility’s opening, we are very grateful for our governor, Gretchen Whitmer, the state of Michigan, MEDC, Monroe County and the Village of Dundee, for the kindness of the support that has been provided. We are also very thankful for the incentives offered to EOI Pioneer. We will strive for the success of our company and our staff, as well as utilizing our resources to help grow our village, county and state.”
State Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, applauded the announcement.
“This is exciting news for the people of Dundee, our automotive industry and our entire state,” Zorn said. “This project will create good jobs for local workers, boost the local economy, enhance Michigan’s leadership in automotive manufacturing and help meet the huge demand for automotive electronics. I applaud EOI Pioneer, state officials and leaders in Dundee for their work in making this opportunity a reality.”
The project builds on Michigan’s leadership position in automotive manufacturing and further boosts the state's work to capitalize on its existing mobility, software, manufacturing, engineering and design capabilities to grow the state’s technology footprint. The project will also impact the local region with immediate job growth with a large and expanding automotive supplier.
EOI believes in promotion from within and offers its employees ongoing training programs, encouraging hourly employees to take opportunities to become senior supervisors or get promoted into other advanced functions, Huang said. EOI also uses Michigan Works! to reach local talent in disadvantaged areas and underrepresented employees and is open to helping employees obtain access to its facility for career positions.
“Congratulations to the team at EOI Pioneer on your tremendous growth and success,” said Quentin Messer, Jr., CEO of the MEDC and President and Chair of the Michigan Strategic Fund. “We appreciate your continued vote of confidence in our state and in our workforce. We’re proud to join our local partners as we celebrate EOI’s expansion in Dundee. We look forward to welcoming more companies like EOI to Michigan and presenting all the competitive advantages of Pure Opportunity to companies across the globe.”
The village is supportive of the project and is prepared to offer staff support and resources to assist the company as it grows and adds jobs in the area, Messer said.
“EOI’s investment in our community through this project will contribute greatly to the overall health of Dundee by the creation of jobs, and subsequently, the increase in spending at our local businesses that results from those jobs,” said Dundee President Andrea Hickey. “Local businesses are the backbone of our small town and we want nothing more than to see them thrive. On behalf of the Dundee Village Council, our village office staff and the amazing residents of Dundee, I would like to thank our partners at Monroe County, the Monroe County Business Development Corporation, and the State of Michigan, and the team at EOI.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Auto firm to invest $14M, add 195 jobs at Dundee plant
