A Canadian armored-vehicle manufacturer is stepping in to keep Springfield’s biggest factory humming, with Roshel agreeing to buy International Motors’ massive assembly plant in Springfield, Ohio, just as the site’s contract work for an outside automaker winds down. The roughly 2 million-square-foot campus, spread across about 500 acres, includes a full assembly line and paint booth, and local leaders say the deal could preserve many of the community’s manufacturing jobs.
International said in a press release that it has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement under which Roshel will “acquire operating assets” of the Springfield facilities and “use the Springfield facility as the hub for U.S.-based, vertically integrated production of commercial, special, and armored vehicles.” The company added that the plant’s existing contract manufacturing arrangement will expire on Sept. 30, which would free up the line for Roshel to retool. Closing the transaction is still subject to customary conditions, according to the International.
Springfield has hosted International’s assembly operations for more than a century, and the plant currently employs more than 1,800 workers, while the company leaves behind thousands of retirees in the area. Mayor Rob Rue called the announcement “a significant moment for our community” and said city leaders were encouraged that International looked for a buyer instead of shutting the factory down outright. Economic-development officials have cast the sale as a vote of confidence in Springfield’s manufacturing base, said the Springfield News-Sun.
What Roshel Builds And Why It Matters
Roshel, headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, specializes in smart armored and secured-transportation vehicles for government and commercial clients. The company says it handles design and development, metal fabrication, welding, painting, and full mechanical and electrical assembly in-house, and it plans to bring that full toolkit to the Springfield site. That vertically integrated setup is central to Roshel’s pitch as it looks to grow production and serve U.S. defense and emergency-response programs from American soil Roshel…