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RV parts maker plans to add 132 jobs in Elkhart County

Associated Press and Inside Indiana Business

12:57 PM EST, December 11, 2012

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nine companies are promising to bring more than 2,500 new jobs to Indiana within the next six years by locating or expanding operations in the state.

Elkhart-based Atwood Mobile Products, a lightweight durable recreational vehicle components manufacturer, will invest $5.9 million to consolidate manufacturing operations from Michigan and distribution and warehousing operations from Tennessee and other locations to Elkhart County, creating up to 132 new jobs by 2015. With more than 700 associates nationwide, the company currently employs 368 employees at four Elkhart County sites.

Gov. Mitch Daniels joined executives from the companies for Tuesday's announcement at his Statehouse office.

"We've added jobs at nearly twice the national average for the past three years, but we have seen a significant surge of new interest in the past several months. The best holiday gifts the state could receive are these jobs but today's bundle is not the last for this year. Stand by for more," said Daniels.

Daniels says it would be hard to pin the planned new jobs on Indiana's right-to-work law he signed earlier this year. But he said it did not hurt the state's competitiveness.

Daniels says more jobs announcements are likely before he leaves office next month.

InsideIndianaBusiness.com contributed to story.