TOPEKA, Ind. – Nishikawa Cooper LLC and the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation, in conjunction with the town of Topeka, are excited to announce the expansion of Nishikawa Cooper LLC at their manufacturing facilities in Topeka.

Nishikawa Cooper LLC, a joint venture between Cooper Standard Automotive and the Japan-based Nishikawa Rubber Co. manufactures dynamic sealing systems for both foreign and domestic automotive customers, including Honda, Nissan, Chrysler, Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda amongst others. Nishikawa Cooper LLC is headquartered in Topeka and also has a manufacturing facility in Bremen.

The project will include the purchase of approximately $5.5 million in new manufacturing equipment that was necessitated by the growth in the automotive market, and will include new rubber-extrusion lines and associated equipment. The project is expected to support the creation of up to 15 new jobs paying at least $14 per hour in addition to the retention of 435 current employees at their Topeka location. The town of Topeka council, at the request of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation, approved the use of personal property tax abatements on the investment into the new equipment at their June 4 meeting.

“The new equipment will give us the needed production capacity to fill demand for our dynamic sealing systems,” said Mike Talaga, vice-president and general manager of Nishikawa Cooper LLC. “This demand is being driven by the both the resurgence of the foreign automotive markets as well as our competitive pricing, and we are glad to make this investment locally. We have enjoyed a great relationship with Topeka and LaGrange County over the years, and we are happy to continue to build upon it.”

“Nishikawa Cooper LLC has been a great partner in the town of Topeka and we’re excited that they have continued to expand their operations within LaGrange County” said Keith Gillenwater, President & CEO of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation. “Nishikawa Cooper LLC is one of our largest employers in LaGrange County, and a cornerstone of our Tier-1 automotive supply chain in LaGrange County and Northeast Indiana.”

Source: LaGrange County Economic Development Corp.