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LaGrange business Lake Area Designs, LLC, located at 1260 N. Detroit Street, was recently awarded approximately $100k from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) Manufacturing Readiness Grant program, which was created to stimulate private sector investments to modernize Indiana’s manufacturing industry. Lake Area Designs, LLC is the first business in LaGrange County to be awarded one of these grants.
Manufacturing Readiness Grants (MRG) provided by the IEDC, and administered by Conexus Indiana, are available to Indiana manufacturers willing to make capital investments to integrate smart technologies and processes that improve capacity and productivity. Lake Area Designs, LLC will invest in a modernized rip line with sensors and software that scans each board prior to ripping in order to optimize yield.
Brian Miller of Lake Area Designs said that the company wanted to express tremendous gratitude to Sherri Johnston, President/ CEO at LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation (LCEDC), IEDC, and Conexus for the opportunity to put these MRG dollars to use. Brian stated that the company had been looking for ways to advance their technology with the purpose of increasing consistency in production, lightening the workload for their employees, and becoming more efficient so they can ship more product in less time and meet shorter lead time demands. He stated that Sherri brought their attention to the MRG program and encouraged them to apply. The new equipment they’re able to purchase will give them a leg up on their competition, and allow them to get a higher return on their investment.
Conexus Indiana, the grant administrator for the MRG Program, is one of five initiatives created by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and is focused on advanced manufacturing and logistics. “Since 2020, the Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grants Program has supported nearly 400 Smart Manufacturing industry projects across Indiana, with award funding totaling $41M in support of $509M in total technology-enabled capital investments,” said Leighton Johnson, Director of Innovation & Digital Transformation for Conexus Indiana. “We appreciate the opportunity to continue working with local economic development corporations, including LCEDC, to spread the word about the program.”
LCEDC has partnered with Conexus Indiana to raise awareness about the Industry 4.0 state grant program to ensure that manufacturing firms across the county are aware of grant resources to support their innovation projects. Other LaGrange County companies interested in learning more about MRG can reach out directly to LCEDC or Conexus Indiana. Additional information included below.
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