F.C.C. announced plans for Jaytec

Thirty years ago this week, plans were announced for a new industry in Portland that has since grown to be the city’s largest single employer.

On Aug. 5, 1988, Japanese auto parts manufacturer F.C.C. Co., Ltd., announced plans to build a $30 million facility in Portland’s industrial park. The company had purchased 37 acres of land for the project from Bob Delauter and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

The new company — Jaytec, Inc. — was to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of F.C.C. for the purpose of manufacturing clutches and clutch components primarily for Honda of America. Expected to be at full production by 1991, the 86,000-square-foot plant was expected to employ about 120, said Seinae Akatsu, director and project leader for Jaytec.

The company’s name was intended to represent a partnership between F.C.C. and the local community.

“Our people will be dedicated to being active and contributing members in the community,” Akatsu said. “We look forward to joining the Portland family and mutually sharing the rich traditions of both Indiana and Japan. … In our partnership with the community … we hope to build the finest manufacturing plant of its kind in the world.”

The event to announce plans for Jaytec included Indiana Gov. Robert D. Orr, who noted that a $100,000 Training for Profit grant had been approved to help the company in its early stages. The city also committed to a tax abatement and a $200,000 low-interest loan.