A new Duramax factory is coming to Brookville. The DMAX plant is part of General Motors’ stated plan to invest in $700 million in Ohio.
DMAX is a joint venture, with 60 percent owned by GM and 40 percent owned by Isuzu Diesel Services of America, Inc.
Representatives from GM and Isuzu say the new $175 million diesel engine components plant will create 100 new union jobs and should be fully operational by the end of 2020.
“Strong demand for GM’s all-new family of Chevrolet and GMC heavy and medium duty pickups is driving us to find ways to build more Duramax diesel engines,” said Gerald Johnson, GM’s executive vice president of Global Manufacturing, in a statement. “The Brookville investment will enable us to machine more engine blocks and heads and ultimately enable our DMAX engine plant in Moraine to build more 6.6-liter diesel engines for our Flint truck assembly plant.”
The project received a 15-year tax abatement and will receive $400,000 in Montgomery County ED/GE program development grants.
Brookville Mayor Chuck Letner says the investments will go a long way for the city’s future growth.
"We gave them 15 years, but we’re going to get the income tax from the workers off of that. So, for 100-some workers, guesstimating $75,000 a year with over time, it’s a good shot in the arm for the city," the mayor says.
Officials from the IUE-CWA union were also on hand for the announcement at Brookville Fire Station 76.
GM and Isuzu have long been partners in the making the Duramax V-8 Diesel engine. Now, some of those engine parts will be made in Brookville and assembled just down the road at the Moraine Duramax plant.
Heavy-duty trucks make up about 25 percent of full-size pickup sales in the United States.