By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — An alternative technology development company plans to bring up to 1,800 jobs to Henry County, Ind., by 2012 with the opening of a facility to make parts for wind turbines and heliostats, which are mirrors used to track the sun.

The company has no plans, though, to put a wind farm in the area, according to its chief executive officer.

D’Arcinoff Group, based in the Washington, D.C.-area, expects to start operations in Henry County in January, Michael Darcy said. They expect to have about 800 people employed by April, and 1,800 by July 2012. They will make about 80 different components when in full operation.

The company has wind farms throughout the world, including three large farms in Africa. The largest has 52,000 turbines, Darcy noted.
“We have no plans to build any wind farms in Indiana or anywhere else in the U.S.,” Darcy explained. “Even if we did have such plans, it would literally be at least a decade away.”

D’Arcinoff builds its wind farms in remote, sparsely populated areas to avoid what Darcy calls the “not in my backyard mentality” found in more populated areas. The energy is converted into two fuels – pure hydrogen and certified jet fuel - and sold mostly to urban areas in Europe.

The company is looking to locate its parts facilities in closed manufacturing plants, such as those used for the auto industry, Darcy said.

“The technology for mass production came out of the auto industry. With China already running at full tilt, we have found under-utilized facilities in the U.S. and people here who know how to run them. We’re using people right out of the auto industry.

“We want to find those 52-year-old guys who worked on the assembly line for 25 years,” he added. “This is perfect for those men and women. They’ll be using the very machines they were running for years.”

The primary customer for the parts built in Henry County will be D’Arcinoff’s own production, but Darcy said a small amount might be sold outside the company.

Henry County could use the jobs D’Arcinoff will bring to the area, said Kim L. Cronk, president of the county commissioners.
“This will make a significant impact. We have a high unemployment rate of 11-12 percent. This is a distressed community, and we’re really excited to welcome them.”

D’Arcinoff should find a good pool of workers, including those formerly employed at a now-closed Chrysler plant, Cronk said.