After forming in July to take advanced recycling technology to the market, a local greentech startup is planning a Midwestern manufacturing facility that could create hundreds of jobs.
Sortera Alloys, a startup focused on converting recycled material from vehicles into new tech products, is planning to open its manufacturing operations in Fort Wayne, Ind., intending to create up to 100 jobs with tax incentives from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
“This new facility will be the place we take our technology to the next level,” said Nalin Kumar, founder, CEO and president at Sortera, in a statement.
The announcement comes on the heels of an October investment from Chrysalix Venture Capital for an undisclosed amount.
Sortera Alloys is a spinoff of Fort Worth advanced materials and devices development and commercialization company UHV Technologies. Sortera’s technology, which uses artificial intelligence to sort material that can be turned into manufacturing-level metal alloys, has been under development for the past five years, with funding from the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E's METALS program.
Kumar also serves as the president of UHV.
Now that the company is taking its manufacturing operations to Indiana, Sortera plans to invest $4.2 million to buy and equip a 40,000 square-foot site. The company currently has six employees in Indiana, according to the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, and is looking to hire up to 100 engineers and technicians. The hiring will be aided by an up to $1 million performance-based tax credit from the Indiana EDC.
“Indiana continues to lead the way in advanced manufacturing as companies like Sortera choose to locate and innovate in our state,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger in a statement. “With our skilled and robust manufacturing workforce… Indiana is a great place for cutting-edge innovators to establish and grow.”
Hiring is expected to begin next month, while the facility is expected to be completed by March 2021.
NTX Inno reached out to Sortera about how the move will affect its 15-person Fort Worth-based workforce but did not receive a response before publication. Sortera now lists its headquarters as Fort Wayne on LinkedIn.
When Sortera received its funding from Chrysalix, it said it hoped that the development of this manufacturing facility will help to prove its technology to future investors, aiding in its plans for future global expansion.
“We believe we can make a global impact, and we're happy to take this important step in Fort Wayne,” Kumar said.
