Magna Cosma Casting to invest $31.9M into Battle Creek expansion

Magna Cosma Casting to invest $31.9M into Battle Creek expansion
Magna Cosma Casting is planning an expansion for its Battle Creek facility, located in the Fort Custer Industrial Park.

BATTLE CREEK — Automotive supplier Magna Cosma Casting is planning to invest $31.9 million into an expansion of its facility in the Fort Custer Industrial Park.

Battle Creek Unlimited, a nonprofit corporation that serves as the economic development arm for the city, announced this week that Cosma Casting opted to expand in Battle Creek after considering a variety of sites around the country for the expansion.

“Magna has been a proud member of the Battle Creek community since 2013, and we’re pleased to have an opportunity to expand our operations and continue supporting our customers with great products,” Bryan Bowersox, general manager of Cosma Casting, said in a statement. 

“In addition, this expansion is about our employees and the team. We strive to attract, develop and retain the best talent by providing a challenging and rewarding environment in which to grow both personally and professionally.”

Cosma Casting, owned by Canada-based Tier 1 automotive supplier Magna International Inc., is planning a roughly 50,000-square-foot expansion to its Battle Creek facility for additional manufacturing space. Cosma, which specializes in high-pressure aluminum castings to create lighter weight vehicles, expects to hire 68 new employees over the next three years.

These positions will be a mix of engineers, project managers and skilled employees. The company will also participate in Battle Creek Unlimited’s “Battle Creek TRAIN” program, which is a partnership formed between BCU and area companies to attract talent to the area.

Cosma is seeking a local tax abatement on the project. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. supported the expansion in the form of a 12-year State Education Tax exemption estimated at $309,000.

“We are pleased that Magna is considering Battle Creek as the site of their expansion,” Shabaka Gibson, vice president at Battle Creek Unlimited, said in a statement. “We are also excited to partner with them on the B.C. TRAIN program to bring additional employees and residents to Battle Creek. Battle Creek is a great place to do business and this announcement is another example of that.”