WESTMINSTER, S.C. – Eaton has announced its U.S. Engine Valve (USEV) joint venture with Nittan Valve Co. Ltd. will invest $40 million in engine valve manufacturing facilities in South Carolina and Nebraska over the next five years to support growth of its North American vehicle business. The investment will result in the creation of up to 150 new jobs by 2016.
Between 2013 and 2017, USEV will invest nearly $34 million in a 38,000-square-foot expansion, and new valve machining equipment and forge presses for its Westminster, S.C., facility. The Westminster facility expansion is underway and scheduled to be completed March 2014. It will include additional manufacturing and office space as well as an expansion of the facility’s parking area. USEV will invest an additional $6 million in Eaton’s Kearney, Neb., facility to support expanded valve production.
USEV supplies engine valves to a wide array of automotive original equipment manufacturers in North America. USEV has recently been awarded new business to support new engine platforms being introduced by its North American customers, which was the impetus for the investment in the Westminster and Kearney facilities. Global regulations for fuel economy and carbon-dioxide emissions are leading auto makers to invest in new technologies to deliver engines that meet these new requirements without compromising the performance characteristics demanded by consumers. Suppliers such as USEV and Eaton are being asked to develop and manufacture key components and materials that will deliver the powertrains of the future.
Nittan Valve Co. Ltd. manufactures and sells engine valves, marine parts, variable cam phasers and gears primarily in Japan. The company offers engine valves for passenger vehicles, motorcycles, trucks and buses, as well as for marine and general-purpose products. It also provides variable cam phasers for automobiles; precision forged gears for automobiles and trucks, as well as for agricultural, construction and industrial machinery; and other products, such as valve lifters, roller rocker arms, machine tools, etc. Nittan Valve Co. Ltd. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Hadano, Japan.
