Noble County manufacturer expanding

A manufacturer in the Noble County town of Avilla is growing, the county’s nonprofit economic development organization announced Thursday. ONXX Tool Inc., which makes parts and tools for the aerospace, food processing and medical industries, is investing $325,000 to purchase new equipment it says will expand operations and add jobs.

Vice President Dustin Warrix tells Inside INdiana Business the company has seen demand for Swiss Lathe work, for which it previously did not have the equipment in-house.

The company currently has nine employees with an average salary of more than $60,000. Warrix says with the new equipment, ONXX will need to hire at least one new employee and “hopefully more down the road.”

“Most of our employees live within 10 miles of our facility,” Warrix said. ” We appreciate that Noble County offers a hometown feel and that it is in close proximity to so many of our customers. All ONXX’s employees have been with us for more than seven years and are our biggest assets.”

ONXX, which has been in business for more than 30 years, received a five-year tax abatement for the expansion.

“Noble County has one of the highest concentrations of employment in manufacturing in the nation and Northeast Indiana, and we cannot emphasize enough how fortunate our communities are to continue to see industrial investments that are approaching $70 million dollars over the past 20 months,” Be Noble Inc. Operations Director Lori Gagen said in written remarks. “It is especially satisfying to see family-owned and operated businesses like ONXX, in business for three decades, continue to choose Noble County as the place to work and grow.”

Warrix says the production with the new equipment is slated to begin by the end of October.