Innovative Belvidere Company Looking Forward to Signification Growth 

Wema Vogtland, a midsize German and American owned company who offers retrofitting and modernization of existing metal cutting machines, located to Belvidere in July 2010 and has been experiencing steady growth, currently employing 58 workers.

Growth Dimensions' representatives toured the facility in October to see the company's operations first hand. WEMA VOGTLAND Technology of remanufacturing operates on almost all continents, providing innovative machine concepts for machining centers, special machines, transfer lines and production facilities for high-precision machining of complex parts. The company services include retrofitting, modernization and relocation of transfer line, special-purpose machine tools and machining units.

The U.S. operation began in 2010 and growth in 2011 was approximately 25% higher than expected. Company executives expect to experience similar growth for the next few years ahead.

"We will grow with our served market which is helping companies redeploy underutilized capital assets for machining production parts, said Dan Barry, Wema Vogtland President.   "Expectation is that within five years we will increase the size of the company very significantly."

Mr. Barry says that the company's ability to help manufacturing companies derive additional value from their existing capital beyond what they were able to accomplish is a unique part of their business that sets them apart. Wema's focus remains on retooling and remanufacturing machinery as a core competency.

The company chose to locate to Belvidere due to the proximity to O'Hare and Chicago. Mr. Barry said the Chrysler plant's supply base it brings makes it easier for a company to find key suppliers to sustain the business.   Also "it's important that we have the access to the local officials and U.S. Congressmen who understand the importance of manufacturing to job growth," said Barry. "And more importantly, we have access to skilled labor in one of the few remaining hubs for machinery manufacturing in the U.S."

Wema Vogtland's holding company is the GLOBAL RETOOL GROUP in Dusseldorf, GERMANY. Wema Vogtland America LLC is a subsidiary of WEMA Vogtland, Plauen Germany.

Belvidere-Boone County Leads the State in Enterprise Zone Capital Investments

TIGER III Grant Submitted for Regional Transportation Projects

The Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning, (RMAP) has submitted a TIGER III (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant application on behalf of the residents, industries and transportation providers within the Rockford MSA. The application for funds is to support the construction of the I-90/Irene Road Interchange in Boone County, as part of a state of good repair project of the Illinois Tollway on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), leading to sustained economic growth and employment in a region that has been hit extremely hard by the economic downturn. The application describes a project that captures the benefits of the Rockford region's industrial legacy and transportation geography, and promotes cargo oriented development in the area adjacent to the interchange. The projects present a unique opportunity to partner with the Illinois Tollway as they initiate reconstruction and widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) as part of their $2.3 billion capital program approved in August 2011. This project captures investment opportunities that meet the objectives of the TIGER program.

Following are some of the benefits:

Growth Dimensions is reaching out to Belvidere-Boone County companies in the effort to keep their finger on the pulse of the local business community.

These efforts take place through the Business Visitation Program, a ComEd sponsored program, which includes a series of face-to-face Voice of the Customer meetings with local companies to help develop a snapshot of the area's business environment.

The program examines issues such as workforce quality, recruiting, expansion plans, competitive challenges and overall satisfaction with the community as a place to do business. The goal of the business visitation program is to gather information that helps focus the efforts on existing businesses in Boone County and allows for the identification of issues of concern to local companies. This can result in a more efficient allocation of future resources.

While the information from the meetings remains confidential, the content is placed into a database and will provide a detailed, aggregate analysis of the visits produced using a software program called Synchronist, an advanced business information system that compiles and analyzes the findings to identify key trends and issues affecting local manufacturing firms. Growth Dimensions will incorporate the results of the analysis and work to decrease the likelihood that such issues would have a negative impact on the business or economic climate. This information will also be aggregated and reported on regionally.

Mark Williams, executive director of Growth Dimensions, believes the visitation program is a great tool to help identify new business leads for the organizaton's business attraction program, along with helping find new domestic or international markets.  

"The Business Visitation Program is a tool to ensure that we can proactively address any challenges area businesses face before these issues reach a boiling point, causing a company to scale back its local operations," said Mark Williams, Executive Director of Growth Dimensions. "We want to reach out and do what we can to ensure our local companies remain in competitive business environment that's conducive for future investment.