COLUMBUS, INDIANA (Nov. 3, 2015) – Company officials from Japan-based Daiei Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd., announced today plans to locate the company’s first and only U.S. production site in Columbus, Indiana. The company is establishing Daiei, Inc., as a wholly-owned subsidiary and will initially invest $3 million in new equipment and expects to create up to 10 new jobs by 2017.
“Our new operations will allow us to meet the needs of important customers while benefiting from the business advantages found in Columbus, Indiana,” said company spokesman and production department director James Anderson Kaparakis. “Our location will offer us convenient access to customers and a workforce that understands our manufacturing needs.”
Daiei is a specialty producer of industrial components made of sheet steel and is a proud supplier to the number one producer of lift trucks in the U.S., Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM), which also has its North American headquarters and production operations in Columbus.
Incoming mayor and current city councilman Jim Lienhoop and Columbus Economic Development Board executive director Jason Hester recently traveled to Japan as part of a State of Indiana delegation, led by Governor Mike Pence. During the trip, Lienhoop and Hester met with many of the community’s 25 Japan-based companies and also met separately with officials from Daiei Giken.
“We in Columbus are pleased to be home to the highest concentration of Japanese investment in the state of Indiana,” said Lienhoop. “City and local economic development officials have traveled to Japan annually for more than thirty years in support of Japanese investment, and I was honored to have the opportunity to help tell the Columbus story to Daiei officials during our recent trip.”
Daiei has selected local firm Force Construction to remodel its future production space at 810 Depot Street as well as office space at nearby 3620 Commerce Drive. Daiei hopes to begin installing equipment within the next few weeks, pending approval by the City Council on a requested tax phase-in to support the $3 million investment. The City Council is expected to discuss the company’s application during its November 4th meeting at the request of the company and the Columbus Economic Development Board.
“Establishing new operations has many challenges, and the team at the Columbus Economic Development Board has been a great source of help,” said Kaparakis. “Columbus, Indiana, is proving itself to be a very welcoming place.”
Daiei is looking to offer competitive wages as it fills positions in both production and leadership roles. Interested candidates can send an email to jobs@daieigiken.co.jp for more information or to submit their résumé.
According to published reports, roughly $1.6 billion of Hoosier-made goods are exported to Japan each year, making Japan Indiana’s largest Asian trading partner and third-largest export country in the world. More than 50,000 Hoosiers are employed by Japanese firms in Indiana, with more than 5,500 of those jobs attributed to Columbus-area companies.

“We have many wonderful partners and friends in Japan,” said Hester, “and we are very pleased to welcome Daiei, Inc., as the newest Japanese company to choose Columbus and Bartholomew County, Indiana for their U.S. home.”
About Daiei, Inc.
Daiei, Inc., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan-based Daiei Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd. The parent company was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Handa City, Aichi prefecture, Japan. The company is ISO14001 and ISO9001 certified and is a specialty producer of industrial components made of sheet steel, serving material handling, automotive, HVAC, and other industries. In addition to its operations in Japan, the company also established operations in China in 1995 and will soon open a production facility in Vietnam. In November 2015, Daiei announced plans to establish its first North American operations in Columbus, Indiana, USA.