Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana delegation joined provincial officials from China’s Zhejiang Province this week to renew the Indiana-Zhejiang sister-state relationship, celebrating the economic, cultural and educational connections shared between the two states. In Hangzhou, the provincial capital city, the delegation also met with Indiana and Chinese businesses with operations in Zhejiang Province, establishing new connections and strengthening partnerships across the region.

“Now in the fourth decade of our sister-state relationship with Zhejiang Province, this visit is the perfect opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to growing together,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Our 32-year-old partnership has blossomed into a transpacific friendship that’s fueling business, academic, government and cultural exchanges on both sides of the Pacific. We look forward to what the future brings both our states in the decades ahead.”

Indiana has shared a sister-state relationship with Zhejiang Province since 1987, when the agreement was first signed by former Indiana Governor Robert D. Orr. In 2017, Gov. Holcomb joined officials of Zhejiang Province in Indianapolis to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the partnership, and this week, the Governor again affirmed Indiana’s commitment to Zhejiang, renewing the sister-state agreement with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun.

In Hangzhou, the delegation also met with Zhejiang Governor Yuan Jiajun to further emphasize Indiana’s commitment to strengthening the mutually-beneficial partnership between Indiana and Zhejiang Province. Since its inception, the Indiana-Zhejiang sister state has increased economic ties and cultural and educational exchanges between Indiana and China, and, last year, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation established a business development office in Hangzhou to further support and strengthen the many opportunities for collaboration.

The Indiana delegation met with representatives of the region’s economy during a business roundtable with Gov. Yuan and the Zhejiang Department of Commerce. Gov. Holcomb offered remarks highlighting Indiana’s pro-growth business environment and promoting future investment opportunities, and Secretary Schellinger provided an overview of Next Level initiatives currently underway to enhance connectivity, talent and quality of place across the state for years to come.

Indiana and Zhejiang Province already share many business ties. In Hangzhou, Gov. Holcomb and the delegation met with leadership of China-based Zhejiang HengFeng Top Leisure and its Indianapolis-based subsidiary, Westfield Outdoors. HengFeng is one of the largest exporters of outdoor leisure goods, producing more than 10,000 products, such as foldable chairs and beds, tents, fishing tackle and hunting gear, and garden furniture for customers worldwide. The company’s Indiana operation, Westfield Outdoors, was established in 2004 and supports R&D and U.S. sales for the products manufactured in Zhejiang and sold at popular retailers like Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Target, Walmart and Costco.

The Governor and Secretary also met with leadership of Zimmer Biomet China & Hong Kong to offer the state’s continued support on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Zimmer Biomet, which is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, and launched its China operations in 1994, employs 2,000 associates in China and 10,000 in the U.S., with nearly half of its U.S. employees located in Warsaw.

Additionally, the Indiana delegation visited the global headquarters of Alibaba Group, which offers a technology suite of e-commerce platforms, cloud computing, digital media and entertainment, and innovation services. The group met with executives to discuss opportunities for Alibaba to support Indiana companies on its online retail platforms as well as the company’s new strategic partnership with Salesforce, which operates its Salesforce Marketing Cloud operations in Indianapolis. With this partnership announced in July, Alibaba is now the exclusive provider of Salesforce to enterprise customers in mainland China and Hong Kong, while Salesforce is the exclusive enterprise CRM software suite sold by Alibaba.

On September 16th, the China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA), the bilateral investment department under China’s Ministry of Commerce, visited Indianapolis to learn more about our state’s business climate. Led by Deputy Director-General Mr. Li Yong, the delegation met with representatives of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indy Partnership, Indiana Manufacturers Association, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, Indiana Economic Development Corporation and America China Society of Indiana. CIPA previously visited Indiana with full delegations in 2014 and 2015.

Indiana Wheel Corporation (IWC), a startup manufacturing company specializing in the production and distribution of steel wheels, announced plans today to establish operations in Marshall County, creating up to 117 new jobs over the next few years. 

“Indiana’s fiscally-predictable, pro-growth business climate and talented workforce continue to attract companies from around the world, with foreign direct investment committed to Indiana up more than 300 percent since 2016,” Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “We’re pleased to welcome IWC to Indiana and look forward to the company’s growth and future contributions to the Marshall County economy and community as a whole.”

The company, which is a joint venture led by China-based Jingu Company Limited (Jingu), will invest nearly $23 million to purchase, renovate and equip a 300,000-square-foot production facility at 2935 Vanvactor Drive in Plymouth. The new facility, which will undergo immediate on-site infrastructure improvements, will feature more than $14.5 million of state-of-the-art, specially-designed equipment to support IWC’s manufacturing operations for the trailer and recreational vehicle (RV) industries. Upgrades will begin this summer with production expected to start later this year.

To support its growth in north central Indiana, IWC plans to add 60 full-time employees toward its goal of 117 by the end of 2019. The company will begin by hiring for executive-level positions, skilled machinists, and operations and administrative associates. 

”With a low-cost, business-friendly environment and highly-skilled workforce, Indiana is the perfect place to launch and grow our manufacturing of steel wheels for the trailer and RV industries,” said David Saylor, president of IWC. “As we scale IWC’s operations in north central Indiana, we plan to build our customer base and exceed expectations in both quality and service. We appreciate the strong relationship established with the city, the state, and with our partners, and we look forward to growing together right here in Plymouth.”

With its investment in IWC, Jingu, which was established in 1986, will add a major U.S. location to complement its global steel wheel manufacturing operations. Jingu, a publicly-traded, tier-one supplier for leading automotive companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Company, is the largest steel wheel manufacturer in China. The company is headquartered in Fuyang City, Zhejiang Province, which has shared a sister-state relationship with Indiana for more than 30 years, promoting and encouraging economic, cultural and educational ties between the two states. 

“Marshall County and the city of Plymouth have made great strides to prepare ourselves for new business expansions, and we believe IWC will benefit from our preparation,” said Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter. “We are grateful to our economic development partners who have significantly weighed in to make the project feasible. We’re thankful for the high-quality jobs and automation that this expansion will bring.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered IWC up to $1.2 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Plymouth will consider additional incentives at the June 10 meeting of the Plymouth Common Council at the request of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation. 

IWC joins a network of more than 950 foreign-owned business establishments operating in Indiana, including more than 21 China-based businesses, including SF Motors, BWI North America, Westfield Outdoors and Nanshan America Advanced Aluminum Tech.