Following an $18.5 million investment, high-tech manufacturing firm Eaton has begun a major expansion project in Orchard Park. The project is expected to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity by 40 percent and add 100 jobs to its existing 450-employee workforce. According to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, the new 50,000-square-foot facility will be used to enhance assembly, testing, and shipping operations for aerospace and military products.
Empire State Development is supporting the expansion with up to $2 million in tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program. In addition, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency is providing property tax savings and sales tax abatements to help stimulate growth in the sector. “New York is committed to helping companies like Eaton invest in Western New York and create quality manufacturing jobs,” Governor Hochul affirmed in a press release.
Mike Nero, the General Manager of Eaton’s Aerospace Group Mission Systems Actuation, spotlighted the military’s increasing demands as a driving force behind their expansion in Orchard Park. The site has become crucial not only for the U.S. Air Force but soon also for the U.S. Navy, providing critical actuation technology. “By significantly increasing our production capacity, we can now provide actuation technology currently used exclusively by the U.S. Air Force to the U.S. Navy as well,” Nero told Governor’s office…