“We’re still planning for the first of November,” Cleveland said. “Our start-up date has not been affected; we haven’t altered our plans. We plan to start production by the first of November.”
Corporate support officials from Ohio and Japan were at the plant last Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 2,500-ton stamping press, which towers seven stories, including 3½ stories below the surface. Special permits were required in transporting the press, Cleveland said.
Making brief remarks at the ceremony were plant manager John Boyer, stamping managing T.J. Sano, company president Ted Inokuma and stamping coordinator Jim Cecil.
Production start-up the first of November has been the goal since it was announced in June of 2000 that KTH was bringing a facility to Leesburg. The 170,000-square-foot building has been complete for several months, and equipment has been arriving on schedule.
“We’re hiring on a monthly basis,” Cleveland said. “We’ll probably have 65 to 70 people by the first of November. Our hiring is on schedule; there have been no changes to our hiring schedule.”
Cleveland said KTH Leesburg has about 50 employees at present, and trial production has already begun. “We’re making some trial parts for Honda,” Cleveland said.
However, Cleveland added, he isn’t sure of what the main Honda plant in Lincoln has as a beginning production schedule. “Honda has a schedule laid out,” he said. “It will start low and build up. I think we’ll be targeted for about 50 parts per day (at first).”
While some equipment has yet to arrive, Cleveland assured, “Everything will be in place to start production on time.”
KTH Leesburg will open with one shift, Cleveland said, with a second shift scheduled next February. “We’re not planning for third shift at this time,” he said.
Cleveland said the first phase “will take us to 150-175 employees by early summer.”
“We’ll have to take the pulse of the economy, our customers, our own status, how things going in own company to see what we want to do,” Cleveland said. “We have a longer range plan.”
“We haven’t slowed down or hestitated a moment,” Cleveland said in reference to the terrorist attacks three weeks ago in New York City and Washington. “We have all the confidence in the world.”
KTH Leesburg Products will hold an open house with the public invited to tour the plant from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 20.
Cleveland said KTH has cut down on its airline travel since the incidents, with corporate officials from Ohio attending the ceremonies last Thursday via automobile
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