Japanese automotive supplier establishes U.S. HQ
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Japan-based Yajima Industry Co. Ltd., which supplies automotive components to Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc., is establishing its U.S. headquarters. Yajima USA will be located in the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette.
Purdue says Yajima will focus on development of lightweight parts and components with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites and noncombustible magnesium alloy parts. The company did not specify how much it is investing in the new headquarters or how many jobs will be created.
Yajima specializes in the production of sheet metal pressed products from design to production, including the die design and production. The automotive supplier also provides special products and components to the motorsports aftermarket.
“The founding of Yajima USA in the Purdue Research Park and its association with Purdue’s Composites Manufacturing Simulation Center is another example of the success of the Purdue Research Foundation’s efforts to bring high-technology companies to Indiana to promote the economic vitality of the state of Indiana and the region,” said Brian Edelman, president of the Purdue Research Foundation.
Yajima says it was attracted to West Lafayette by the combined presence of automotive manufacturers as well as the proximity of Purdue University’s Composites Manufacturing Simulation Center, located in the Indiana Manufacturing Institute in the Purdue Research Park.
“Yajima’s decision to make Indiana its U.S. headquarters supports the long-standing tradition of Japanese manufacturers choosing to grow in our state,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “The establishment of Yajima USA in Purdue Research Park is the perfect match with its proximity to SIA, the Indiana Manufacturing Institute and other aerospace and automotive manufacturing companies. Yajima USA joins more than 300 Japanese business facilities in the state, and we’re excited to watch them grow their operations and workforce in West Lafayette.”
The university says joint Yajima-Purdue CMSC programs are being developed to support the design and manufacturing simulation of products for the automotive and aerospace industries.