By JOHN DEMPSEY

NHI Indiana

TIPTON — “Getrag, Chrysler, welcome to your Tipton County home.”

Providing a bit of Hoosier hospitality, Commissioner Monte Henderson greeted Getrag Corporate Group and Chrysler Group following their announcement of plans to spend $530 million in a Tipton County facility which will produce fuel-efficient dual-clutch transmissions.

“It is the greatest single investment ever to be made in Tipton County — a half billion dollars,” said Henderson, president of Tipton County Board of Commissioners, from the steps of the courthouse.

The plant will be built near the intersection of U.S. 31 and Indiana 28 with construction beginning June 27 and production slated to start in 2009.

The Tipton facility is part of Chrysler Group’s $3 billion investment in facilities to manufacture more fuel-efficient powertrains with new engines, axles and transmissions.

“Together with our new partner, the Getrag Corporate Group, this $530 million investment in Tipton will create a state-of-the-art facility to manufacture fuel-efficient dual clutch transmissions,” Richard Chow-Wah, Chrysler Group vice president manufacturing, told those assembled on the courthouse lawn. “When it is fully operational, the plant will employ approximately 1,170 full-time workers producing more than 700,000 of the best built transmissions for our Chrysler Group. Chrysler Group plans return to profitability in 2008 and this is a key part of sustaining that growth in the years ahead.”

Chow-Wah also noted another 230 employees at Kokomo Casting and Transmission plants will be dedicated to producing and supplying parts for the Getrag facility.

The world’s largest independent transmission manufacturer, Getrag Corporate Group employs 12,000 people at its 23 locations in Europe, Asia and North America. In 2006, Getrag produced 3 million transmissions and 900,000 axles with sales of 2.4 billion Euro.

Ulrich Kohler, Getrag Transmissions Corp. vice president manufacturing, emphasized three values that have led to the company tripling its production value over the last 10 years: precision, passion and partnership.

“These values reflect the spirit and action of all our employees. It shows our employees are the key of our success,” he said. “We hope to build together with our employees, the UAW and Chrysler Group, a benchmark transmission plant.”

The dual clutch transmission will provide an improvement of 5 to 10 percent in fuel economy, Chow-Wah said.

“This new dual clutch provides better shift quality, better driving comfort and, of course, enhanced fuel efficiency compared to our conventional technologies,” he said.

While the work of all was important to landing the Getrag-Chrysler venture, Gov. Mitch Daniels paid tribute to officials of United Auto Workers in particular for the plant coming to Indiana.