HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, MI – Less than a year after a devastating fire destroyed the Holland Alloys plant in Holland Township, the foundry is back at its original site, producing custom-built iron and steel castings for a variety of industries.
In fact, the company has plans to grow and expand, and expects to more than double its workforce in the next two years. The company is investing nearly $1.5 million into the new building, machinery and equipment, with the expectation that its workforce will grow from 17 to 40 employees, owner Greg Hagen told Holland Township board members before they approved a 12-year tax abatement on the project.
“We’ve had a lot of losses, but we’re getting some of that (lost business) back,” said Hagen, whose father, Richard, founded Holland Alloys in 1975.
The blaze last April 5 at the foundry, 4524 136th Ave., broke out while workers were on the job. It took firefighters from four local departments more than seven hours to put out the flames, and the building was considered a total loss.
However, Hagen decided to rebuild on the original site. Construction on the new foundry began last July and by November, Holland Alloys was back producing castings, Hagen said.
“All our employees stuck with us. We were fortunate in that regard,” he said.
The company supplies a number of local industries, including construction, machine tooling, press manufacturing, railroads, and off-highway truck facilities, according to the company’s application to the township for the tax abatement.
The new positions to be created will pay an average of $15 per hour, according to the company application.
Source: mlive.com
