State grants expected to create 130 new jobs in western Wayne, Oakland counties

Posted by Admin January 21, 2025 Jobs

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Three businesses in the Hometown Life area will receive a total of nearly $2 million in grants from the state, resulting in more than $25 million in investment and the creation of roughly 130 jobs, many of which will average nearly $50 per hour.

The economic development projects in southeast Michigan announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a press release last week include 3E Nano Inc., doing business as NxLite, which is establishing a U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Canton; Robert Bosch LLC, which is based in Farmington Hills; and dSPACE Incorporated, which has its North American headquarters in Wixom, and an additional facility in New Hudson.

“I am pleased to welcome NxLite, a Canada-based clean tech company providing nano-thin energy and solar control coatings, to Wayne County,” Oakland County Executive Warren Evans said. “We are rapidly rebuilding our community through economic development, including many opportunities in the clean energy sector.”

The company had considered building a manufacturing facility in Canada for the materials they produce for polymer, glass and window industries, but was drawn to Michigan, according to the press release, due to “the skilled talent pool and business support resources needed to grow.”Those resources now include a $1 million performance-based grant from the Michigan Business Development Program. The company expects to invest a total of $8,858,746 for the project and create about 40 new jobs, with starting wages at or above $24 per hour.

“This manufacturing facility allows us to apply our advanced energy coatings to both glass and polymeric substrates using the latest nano technology,” NxLite CEO David Mather said. “The opening of the AIM center couldn’t have come at a better time given the increased demand for our solutions.”

In Oakland County, Robert Bosch LLC will also benefit with a $500,000 grant through the Michigan Strategic Fund, which they intend to use toward an expected $13.8 million capital investment in a regional hydrogen research and development hub.

“Hydrogen will play a role in a diversified mix of powertrain options in the future,” Peter Tadros, regional president of Power Solutions for Bosch in North America, said. “Our work at the Farmington Hills location underscores our commitment to advancing hydrogen technology, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions that support our customers’ needs and drive progress toward the hydrogen economy.”

The hub project is expected to create 28 new jobs in the mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering fields with an average wage of $48.84 per hour plus benefits.

dSPACE Incorporated, which moved its North American headquarters from Novi to Wixom in 2007 and also had a production, testing and shipping facility in New Hudson, will also create about 51 new jobs over the next three years at an average wage of $49.82 per hour with the help of a $408,000 grant.

The aerospace software testing company is looking to meet the demand for innovative software in electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engines, autonomous driving and softerware-defined vehicles by expanding capacity in Wixom with a total $3.1 million capital investment.

“We very much appreciate the great support we received from the State of Michigan and MEDC,” dSPACE CEO Peter Waeltermann said. “Together with the City of Wixom and Oakland County, MEDC worked with us successfully, right from the beginning of our expansion project. The highly skilled talent in Michigan and the Midwest, the great infrastructure and the collaborative partnership with MEDC were the main reasons to increase our footprint here in Southeast Michigan.”

Contact Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com.