By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A West Michigan manufacturer is planning to move its global headquarters into the city of Zeeland.
JR Automation has proposed a 75,000-square-foot, two-story headquarters building and a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with an additional 10,300 square feet of plant office space on a vacant 45.5-acre site at 800 E. Riley St. The city’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tonight to consider a site plan and special land use application for the project.
The site is one of the few large vacant industrial-zoned properties left in the city, Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
“It has been awhile since we’ve had a vacant site development, especially with such a high-intensity use or full use of the site,” Maday said. “I can’t recall anything this large in my time of being the zoning administrator.”
JR Automation provides design and production of intelligent automated manufacturing and distribution of technology solutions. A division of the Hitachi Group, the company acquired the property in January of this year for a little more than $5 million, according to Ottawa County property records.
Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition had eyed the 800 E. Riley site for modernization of its infant formula manufacturing facility on East Main Avenue, but later discovered JR Automation had already moved to buy the property, according to documents obtained by the Zeeland Record through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this summer.
JR Automation was founded in 1980 by Ken Assink out of his pole barn on Tyler Street in Olive Township. He named the company after his daughters, Jill and Rita, according to the company website.
Five years later, Assink expanded his pole barn on Tyler Street into the company’s first plant. In 1995, the Huizenga Group acquired JR Automation. The company was purchased by Hitachi, Ltd. in December 2019.
“With over 20-plus locations worldwide and six locations in the West Michigan area, the new global headquarters and manufacturing plant will be a great addition to the City of Zeeland community,” project architects Spalding DeDecker wrote in a project narrative to the city.
The company anticipates 293 employees will work in the global headquarters building and another 55 in the manufacturing plant as a result of the first phase of development. A second phase that’s proposed later called for a 298,000-square-foot addition to the manufacturing plant, another 5,000 square feet of plant office space and a 16,300-square-foot addition to the global headquarters building, Spalding DeDecker wrote in its narrative.
Another 166 employees would be added to the headquarters and 115 to the manufacturing plant during Phase 2. When fully built out, the company expects to have 629 employees among the headquarters, manufacturing facility and plant office space, Spalding DeDecker wrote.
The City Council must approve the establishment of an industrial development district for the project, which could happen later this month. Establishing the district would then make the company eligible for industrial facilities development tax breaks.
Zeeland Record
A West Michigan manufacturer is planning to move its global headquarters into the city of Zeeland.
JR Automation has proposed a 75,000-square-foot, two-story headquarters building and a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with an additional 10,300 square feet of plant office space on a vacant 45.5-acre site at 800 E. Riley St. The city’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tonight to consider a site plan and special land use application for the project.
The site is one of the few large vacant industrial-zoned properties left in the city, Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
“It has been awhile since we’ve had a vacant site development, especially with such a high-intensity use or full use of the site,” Maday said. “I can’t recall anything this large in my time of being the zoning administrator.”
JR Automation provides design and production of intelligent automated manufacturing and distribution of technology solutions. A division of the Hitachi Group, the company acquired the property in January of this year for a little more than $5 million, according to Ottawa County property records.
Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition had eyed the 800 E. Riley site for modernization of its infant formula manufacturing facility on East Main Avenue, but later discovered JR Automation had already moved to buy the property, according to documents obtained by the Zeeland Record through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this summer.
JR Automation was founded in 1980 by Ken Assink out of his pole barn on Tyler Street in Olive Township. He named the company after his daughters, Jill and Rita, according to the company website.
Five years later, Assink expanded his pole barn on Tyler Street into the company’s first plant. In 1995, the Huizenga Group acquired JR Automation. The company was purchased by Hitachi, Ltd. in December 2019.
“With over 20-plus locations worldwide and six locations in the West Michigan area, the new global headquarters and manufacturing plant will be a great addition to the City of Zeeland community,” project architects Spalding DeDecker wrote in a project narrative to the city.
The company anticipates 293 employees will work in the global headquarters building and another 55 in the manufacturing plant as a result of the first phase of development. A second phase that’s proposed later called for a 298,000-square-foot addition to the manufacturing plant, another 5,000 square feet of plant office space and a 16,300-square-foot addition to the global headquarters building, Spalding DeDecker wrote in its narrative.
Another 166 employees would be added to the headquarters and 115 to the manufacturing plant during Phase 2. When fully built out, the company expects to have 629 employees among the headquarters, manufacturing facility and plant office space, Spalding DeDecker wrote.
The City Council must approve the establishment of an industrial development district for the project, which could happen later this month. Establishing the district would then make the company eligible for industrial facilities development tax breaks.
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