CrossRoads earns highest rating

BauerFinancial, Inc., a bank and credit union rating firm, has awarded CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union its highest rating for financial strength and stability.  

Based in Coral Gables, Florida, BauerFinancial is the nation’s leading bank and credit union rating and research firm.

It has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of banks and credit unions since 1983.   

Established in 1950, CrossRoads operates four locations in Portland, Dunkirk and Winchester and can also be found online at www.crossroadsfcu.org.

Expanding

Accutech Systems, a software company, plans to expand its operations and invest in a new headquarters facility in Muncie.

The company said this week it will invest more than $5.5 million to purchase and redevelop a 40,000-square-foot facility in the 100 block of Walnut Street. 

The building, which previously housed a Sears department store, will allow Accutech to increase and upgrade its technology and computer hardware in order to scale its workforce and develop new software and operations offerings for clients, according to a press release.

The company plans to complete the build out and move into the new headquarters by the end of this year and will nearly double its Delaware County workforce, planning to reach at least 100 local employees by 2023.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Accutech Systems up to $600,000 in conditional tax credits. 

These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Muncie is considering additional incentives at the request of the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.

Look it over

Ardagh, the parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, is getting ready to launch a high-tech, interactive 3-D system designed to allow customers to interact with Ardagh’s packaging products.

According to Glass International magazine, the new online product catalog allows clients to “drag, flip, turn and look inside each glass container.”

“Customers can play with the new 3D tool to get a feel for the shape and size of each bottle and jar before they think about decoration options. We want to help them visualise their product as it might look on the shelf,” Barbara Macialczyk, Ardagh marketing manger, told the magazine.

The new system goes live on Wednesday.

Making progress

Mercer Landmark’s new feed mill being constructed at Ohio 118 and Carthagena Road in St. Henry, Ohio, is expected to open next January, The Daily Standard reports.

When completed, the new feed mill will be able to handle 20 truckloads of grain per hour. It will have a storage capacity of 1.5 million bushels.

Big givers

Honda of America, a major customer of FCC (Indiana), has reached a philanthropic milestone. The automaker has passed the $100 million mark in donations over the past 40 years, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The $100 million benchmark was surpassed with a $15,000 gift to Keep Ohio Beautiful.

“Of the $100 million, $58 million has been in corporate donations, $28 million has come from Honda associates and $14 million has come from the Honda of America Foundation in Ohio,” The Dispatch said.

Robots roaming

Walmart is going forward with a plan to deploy thousands of robots in its stores to handle a variety of tasks, including polishing floors and checking inventory on shelves.

The giant retailer said in a press release that the use of robots will give employees more opportunity to serve customers face-to-face.

"Smart assistants have huge potential to make busy stores run more smoothly," Walmart said in a news release.

Cleaning up

Cooper Farms has opened a new biosecurity truck wash location in Ashley, Indiana.

The facility will clean and sanitize trucks and trailers after hogs are delivered to the Clemens Food Group in Coldwater, Michigan.

“We are very thorough with our biosecurity measures here at Cooper Farms,” John Grindstaff, manager of the biosecurity center, said in a press release. “We want to do this to prevent anything our animals or trucks may come in contact with from getting back into our herds.”

The facility is set to clean 20 trailers a day and will run five days a week.

Safety step

The venture capital arm of Tyson Foods Inc., parent company of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, is investing in Clear Labs Inc., a food safety testing company that uses a robotic platform to test for pathogens like salmonella. Tyson Ventures has already acquired stakes in alternative protein companies as the food industry continues to evolve.

The technology used by Clear Labs shortens the turnaround of current testing methods to 24 hours from the current 3-5 days.