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Bonitrans to open $93M wheelset plant at Wayland Industrial Park, IDA says
Summary
The Steuben County IDA reported that Bonitrans will build a $93 million facility at Wayland Industrial Park, committing to 85 initial jobs and longer‑term growth; the IDA said the project helped secure a $16.9 million PowerUp grant to expand electrical capacity to the site.
The Steuben County Industrial Development Agency reported that Bonitrans, a Czech manufacturer of wheel sets for transit vehicles, will locate a $93,000,000 facility at Wayland Industrial Park, with an initial commitment of 85 jobs and plans to expand.
"The facility, initial job count is gonna be 85, with expectation of growth," Jamie said, explaining the company chose the Wayland site for acreage, proximity to major customers and infrastructure capacity. Jamie said Bonitrans will buy about 54 acres in the park and begin a tender process to select engineers and builders, with construction expected later this year and a 12–18 month build cycle.
Jamie said the company currently has administrative offices in the city and will maintain them. He described the new plant as Bonitrans' first North American operation and said the project will feed the North American market. He also told the board Bonitrans has discussed future rail access but does not require rail for phase one.
The IDA said the project timing aligned with a separate PowerUp grant award that will fund transmission work to the park (see related article on PowerUp grant). The board heard questions about potential housing impacts and leadership positions; Jamie said the majority of initial production hires are likely to come from the local labor pool and that leadership roles would be a smaller share of hires.
