Koester Metals, Inc. moving from Defiance to Fremont

FREMONT, Ind. (WANE) - Koester Metals, Inc. (KMI) , a manufacturer of sheet metal fabrications and enclosures, announced Wednesday the company will be moving from Defiance, Ohio to Fremont, Indiana.

The company says this will create up to 44 new jobs by 2018. KMI plans to begin hiring additional welders, laser operators and brake press operators in April.

KMI says they will invest $2.7 million to move its headquarters and operations to its existing 130,000 square-foot facility in Fremont. The company also plans to relocate fabricating equipment from Ohio and update the Steuben County facility's software and technology.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered KMI up to $240,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, so until people are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.

Founded in 1975 in Defiance, Ohio, KMI produces sheet metal fabrications and enclosures, including traffic control, test equipment and transformer enclosures.