Emporia, Kans. — Detroit Diesel has acquired a new line of gasoline engines that will add 20 jobs to the plant and has moved some of its old services into the Didde building.
The line officially launched Aug. 1 and serves another division of parent company DaimlerChrysler. In less than two weeks, the Emporia City Commission will consider giving tax breaks to Detroit Diesel for the expansion.
Until now, the Emporia plant exclusively rebuilt two-cycle diesel engines. Much of its work lately has been driven by the military and by petroleum companies looking to put old equipment back in service.
“We’re trying to diversify so that if one market suffers, we’ve got other products that will keep this business strong,” manager Brian Lewallen said.
The expansion leaves about 15,000 square feet of space for future growth, 10,000 of it at the Didde building.
Specifics of the tax breaks have not been announced but are on the agenda for the Sept. 6 city commission meeting. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the city commission chambers, 518 Mechanic St.
Detroit Diesel first looked at getting the new line in April or May, Lewallen said. Once the Emporia plant was selected, it had about 2 1/2 months to get everything up and running.
To make room, Detroit Diesel arranged to lease 54,000 square feet on the north side of the Didde building at 1200 Graphic Arts Road. Most of the “dirty” operations, such as core inspections and disassembly, are moving to that spot, Lewallen said, with “cleaner” operations staying at the main building.
The company is also installing two loading docks on the north side of the building. Detroit Diesel already knew the site well, Lewallen said, and its high-ceilinged area was very desirable.
“Available space is somewhat limited in the Emporia area,” Lewallen said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of options for us.”
The governor component disassembly area and starter-alternator area already have moved to the Didde building, with the engine disassembly area set to come next. Everything should be finished by October or November, Lewallen said.
Detroit Diesel’s last expansion came in 2000, when the last 12,000 square feet of the plant was filled up.
The new line handles both 2.5-liter and 4-liter engines and allows DaimlerChrysler to keep some of its technology in the family, rather than letting it leak out into the aftermarket.
“I think we’ve done an excellent job of proving our capabilities so far,” Lewallen said. “I think we’ve impressed some of the folks in the company.”