KENTUCKY

Manufacturer of Automotive Inflator Devices to Locate in Beaver Dam

Daicel Chemical Industries will establish a manufacturing operation in Beaver Dam. The new U.S. subsidiary will be a joint venture with Toyoda Gosei Company. The new company, Daicel Safety Systems America, LLC, will produce airbag inflators in a 65,000-square-foot plant to be constructed in the Bluegrass Crossings Business Centre Park in Ohio County. The plant will be completed and operational by the end of 2002. Initial investment will be $23 million with employment of 70 people. Employment could grow to 130 people by 2005. The facility will have an annual capacity of 1.2 million inflator units for driver's seat airbags with the capacity of increasing production to 3.5 million units by 2008. Inflators, essential components in automobile airbag systems, are devices that generate gas to inflate airbags.

New Technology Hub to Employ 150 people in Louisville

William M. Mercer, an international employee-benefits, compensation and human resources firm will locate an information-technolgy hub in downtown Louisville. The hub will employ 150 high-tech workers. The $4.8 million, 40,000-square-foot hub will be in the Meidinger Tower. The hub will provide support services internationally for Mercer's technology operations, including voice communication systems, messaging and e-mail services, Internet, intranet and extranet Web environments, a technology help desk, and technology security service.

Louisville Auto Manufacturer/Supplier to Create 80 Jobs

Faurecia, a french company that is an international manufacturer and supplier of automotive equipment, will expand its Louisville facility and create 80 jobs. The local facility, formerly known as AP Automotive, plans a $7.6 million expansion at its 130,000-square-foot plant. The project involves converting 50,000 square feet of storage space into manufacturing space. Faurecia currently employs 175 in Louisville. The 80 jobs created by the expansion will result in $1.8 million in new payroll.

Appriss to Grow with $21 Million Investment

Louisville-based Appriss Inc., also known as the Vine Company, an application services provider of messaging solutions, will grow with $ 15 million in venture capital, and a $6 million line of credit. The Vine Company became a leading provider of automated victim-notification applications, operating in 35 states and in more than 750 counties nationwide. Appriss' full time staff will reach 170 by the end of the year, up 70% from the 98 employees it had at the beginning of the year.