Cartridges Are Us to Expand, Again
A bad economy never seems to have an impact on Ithaca’s Cartridges Are Us.
The supplier of ink jet cartridges is expanding yet again.
Greater Gratiot Development President Don Schurr, along with CAU’s president Steve Iocco, requested and received from the Gratiot County Board of Commissioners Tuesday more land in Ithaca’s South Industrial Park for that expansion.
Iocco said he met with the board of Clover Technologies, CAU’s parent company, to explain why an expansion would be better in Ithaca than in Europe.
The company has increased its share of sales in Europe, he said, noting that some members believed the expansion should take place there.
But Iocco said he outlined the company’s successes in Ithaca and the deal was sealed.
“We can even outbid the Chinese companies,” he said.
Iocco said he wants to add on about 30,000 square feet and told the board that 25 new jobs would open up immediately, bringing the number of 340 employees to about 365.
“And it will probably be north of 400 soon,” he said.
He and Don Schurr have been meeting so that the expanded plant can be operational in the spring.
The park, not now platted, would need to be surveyed, Schurr said, pointing out that CAU would pay for those costs.
After the meeting, Iocco was asked why, if he could outbid the Chinese, other U.S. manufacturers couldn’t.
Iocco credited Clover Technologies’ robotics and advanced equipment.
“No one else has that automation,” he said. “And we dream. We’re challenged when we’re told, “No, you can’t do that.”
Schurr also noted that at a meeting with the Foreign Trade Zone recently in Lansing, Cartridges Are Us was listed as a “company to watch.”