HOPE – A young manufacturing company on the far east side of Hope wants to double its size, which could create up to 10 additional jobs.
Indiana Custom Fabrication has purchased property on Raymond Street in Hope for a planned expansion. Company president Stephanie Long says the land is directly across the street from the company’s current location. The business now operates in a rented facility at 220 Raymond St. owned by Long’s father, Design and Analysis, Inc. founder Brian McKinley.
Focusing on making racks for the automotive industry, Indiana Custom Fabrication has about 15 employees who work on one of two shifts, Long said. The company pays an average wage of $18.76 an hour, as well as health insurance and other benefits to their workers, she said.
Due to business growth, the company wants to build a new 10,000-square-foot shop, as well as office space, that will handle fabrication, cutting and welding, Long said. The new facility will also house state-of-the art laser cutting equipment that is currently in the process of being shipped to Hope from overseas, she said.
“This laser cutting machine is capable of performing a lot of tasks that other metal fabrication shops in our area can’t do,” Long said. “We hope to capture a lot of business that other shops are incapable of handling.”
