SCHAUMBURG, IL—INX International’s manufacturing group in Lebanon, OH has been selected as the 2017 Industrial Business of the Year by the Lebanon City Council. The award will be presented to INX officials by the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce at their 66th annual awards dinner on Sept. 28.
INX is being honored based on demonstrated success in job creation, facility appearance, production expansion and commitment to the Lebanon community. The new 63,000 square-foot facility is located on 11 acres of property about 30 miles northeast of Cincinnati, with easy access to Interstate 71. Completed in January 2015, INX moved from a smaller building in Blue Ash, a Cincinnati suburb, and began producing ink used for packaging.
“When we opened the Lebanon facility, we moved 11 employees from Blue Ash and added new jobs with the anticipation of having 38 employees,” explained John Hrdlick, chief operating officer for INX International. “With all of our growth, more jobs have been created. We currently have 55 employees and more positions are available to be filled.”
Hrdlick said INX’s investment of $22 million in state-of-the-art manufacturing has produced substantial benefits.
“When we constructed this building, we placed an emphasis on worker safety and planned for future expansion. It produces over two million pounds of packaging inks per month for our customers throughout North America, and we continue to invest in additional equipment as our packaging business grows. At this time, we are in the process of adding $1.5 million in equipment to support digital ink manufacturing that we are transferring into the operation. The growth indicates our need and anticipation to expand the facility within the next few years.”
INX’s commitment to the local community has included involvement with local schools and organizations and job fairs. Last March, employees and management in Lebanon participated in the American Heart Association’s Cincinnati Heart Mini event, a combined marathon and walk through downtown Cincinnati and along the Ohio River. General Manager Ryan Ketterer said his team raised $12,200.
“Multi-Color Corporation in Batavia, OH participated in this fundraising event for years. They challenged us to get involved for a friendly competition,” recalled Ketterer, who pointed out the American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.
“After meeting with a local AHA representative, our management team thought it would be a great bonding opportunity. Fourteen people signed up to directly participate in the event. We plan to participate again next March and I expect us to raise at least $15,000 this time.”