Two manufacturers of agricultural systems have announced plans for major facilities in Northern Indiana this week. CTB, Inc., which makes systems for the egg and grain production, hog and poultry industries, will expand its Milford headquarters, while Haldrup, an agricultural machinery manufacturer, will build a new center in Ossian.

CTB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. It already owns a 127-acre campus in Milford along with other manufacturing and warehouse facilities in Frankfort and Vincennes, as well as in other U.S. states and abroad. The company will invest $7.11 million in the construction of a new 45,000-square-foot facility on the Milford campus and in the upgrade of some of its existing operations. The new building will be operational by mid-2015, and CTB will continue hiring until 2017, by which time it expects to add 80 jobs.

Haldrup is a German company which is looking to match its American production with its European output. Haldrup has already begun to operate out of a leased location in Ossian, and will break ground next month on a $13 million, 24,000-square-foot facility in Ossian Industrial Park. The company will have 20,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 4,000 square feet of office and storage room. Haldrup will hire 65 employees in a variety of manufacturing, engineering and clerical positions.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has offered both companies a combined $1.245 million in conditional tax incentives.

"Here in the Hoosier State, home to the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the nation, we make things and we grow things," said Governor Mike Pence.

These and other manufacturing companies can benefit from the use of manufacturing ERP software, which is available from locally-based providers.