COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) — Auto parts supplier NTN Driveshaft says it is spending $18 million on new equipment for its central Indiana factory, with plans to increase production and add perhaps 50 jobs during the next year.
The company announced Tuesday that the new equipment at the factory in Columbus was expected to be installed in the coming months. The company is a division of Japan-based NTN Corp. and makes velocity joints for the automotive industry.
The company now has about 1,500 workers in Columbus and says it has started hiring additional engineering, production and maintenance workers.
NTN vice president Barry Parkhurst says the company has seen strong customer demand.
The addition hiring comes after the factory dropped to fewer than 1,300 workers after 200 were laid off during the recession in early 2009.
