Rotek Breaks Ground On $82 Million Facility Expansion

Involved in the design, development and manufacture of large-diameter slewing ring bearings, Rotek Inc. officially broke ground on an $82 million expansion of its plant in Aurora, OH. The expansion is intended to serve growing large-diameter slewing ring production and help meet increasing demand in the U.S. for seamless rolled rings. This investment, the largest since Rotek's founding in 1962, is expected to create up to 150 new jobs within three years of the project's initial operations, plus retain 215 existing full-time jobs at the project site. The hiring process is expected to begin in the fall of 2008. Workers are currently completing the excavation, roadway and storage pad construction for the 116,000-square-ft. bearing plant expansion and 120,000-square-ft. ring rolling mill addition. Construction and machinery installation are expected to becomplete by December 2009. Through each phase of the expansion, the company has committed to using local- and state-based contractors whenever possible. Rotek received funds from the Ohio Department of Development for job creation and training, as well as machinery and equipment purchases. In addition, the city of Aurora offered the company property tax abatement and funds for road infrastructure improvements. "Today's groundbreaking is a clear demonstration of the positive results that can be achieved when government and private industry work in a collaborative manner," says Rotek President Leonard F. Osborne. With headquarters and a plant in Aurora, OH and an additional facility in Florence, KY, Rotek currently employs 350 people.