Following four announced projects in late 2018, additional projects during first quarter of 2019 have pushed “promised investment” to over $81 million in Jackson County.

Seymour City Council approved an abatement application from R.R. Donnelly in late January for $3,437,000 in new equipment investment for their facility at Seymour’s Freeman Field, and the company returned in late March for an additional request totaling $398,900.

According to Chris Booth, plant manager at RRD, the company has been awarded a new government contract that will require the new investment, and will result in the retention of the company’s 123 workers, plus the hiring of 20 temporary workers for the project. Booth said these new positions might become permanent depending on business conditions following completion of the government work.

Cummins Inc. and Alterra Holdings both have projects planned this year to add equipment and make improvements to their facilities that will result in new jobs.

Alterra, a manufacturer of plastic compounds, will invest $12,050,000 to expand its business at 2213 Killion Ave. in the Eastside Industrial Park, enabling the company to increase its compounding capacity to 100 million pounds.

The company will be adding five new compounding lines at a cost of $10 million, giving Alterra a total of nine production lines. It also is adding two injection molding machines and two smaller compounding lines for research and development at a cost of $2 million.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has awarded Alterra up to $300,000 in EDGE tax credits as a result of the expansion.

Cummins Inc. plans to make an additional $924,000 in improvements at its industrial center at 800 E. Third St. during 2019, and also add $2.25 million in new manufacturing equipment as part of the company’s ongoing multiyear expansion of its technical center in Seymour.

Since 2010, Cummins has invested over $289 million in its Seymour facilities and have hired more than 900 workers.