More manufacturing jobs for Lincoln

[eomaha]

Japanese firm to bring jobs

During his trade mission to Japan in 2003, Gov. Mike Johanns met top officials from Daito Electron Co., LTD, a Japanese company that supplies electronic components to Kawasaki and others, at a reception in his honor.

On that same trip Jim Fram, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln's economic development partnership, toured one of the Daito plants, with uniformed employees and floors so clean it looked like you could eat off them.

And Monday, Johanns announced that a subsidiary of that Japanese firm, Daitron Inc., will open a plant in Lincoln's Airpark and hire up to 50 people beginning this fall.

"We want to welcome Daitron to Nebraska and thank the president of Kawasaki, Mr. Shin-ichi Tamba, who arranged the (early) visits with Daitron and who are strong advocates for this development," the governor said.

The Lincoln Kawasaki plant manufactures motorcycles, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and rail cars.

Johanns used the job announcement Monday to highlight the benefits of government-led trade missions and to talk about the realities of the global economy, in response to criticisms that state government hired an India-based firm to overhaul its unemployment computer system.

That personal contact in Japan during the trade mission was crucial in persuading Daito company officials to locate in Nebraska, Fram said. The Japanese like to do business with people they know and trust, so the personal contact is essential, he said.

Lincoln also has a number of projects in the discussion stage with vendors and suppliers to Kawasaki and other Japanese-owned companies as a result of that trip, he said.

Nebraska has a number of Japanese-owned plants with many Nebraska employees, Johanns pointed out. If Nebraska closed its door to the foreign-owned businesses, these developments would go to other states, Johanns said.

Daitron, which is applying for some state tax credits, likely will be bringing in managers from Japan, but the bulk of the jobs will go to Nebraskans, Fram said.

At least three other Japanese-owned companies that provide components to Kawasaki currently have plants in Lincoln. They include Yasufuku, USA, Inc., which employs about 100 people and makes rubber and plastic parts for vehicles and machinery; Tri-Con Industries Limited, with 300 employees, which makes seats, pads and foam; and Tri-Con Industries Stamping Plant, with more than 100 employees, which makes automotive door parts, frames and mounts.

[almighty_tuna]

Where's Yasufuku in Lincoln? I don't have the remote-est idea!

[edsas]

Great news. Nice to see some countries outsource some jobs to us for a change.

[Coyote]

Yasufuku and Tri-Con Industries are around the municipal Airport.