AM Manufacturing Co., a dough-processing machine builder for the food industry, plans to invest $2.28 million to relocate its headquarters from Dolton, Ill., to Munster, Ind., creating up to 40 new jobs by 2016. The company will lease, renovate and equip a 56,800-sq.-ft. facility located at 9200 Calumet Ave.

The new facility, which will be operational this summer, will allow the company to move previously contracted work in house, as well as build a larger showroom to display machines for customers. AM Manufacturing, which currently employs 30 full-time associates, plans to begin relocating jobs from its Dolton facility and recruiting for assembly, electrical and machining positions later this year.

“We are a growing company adding square footage to make a more clean and efficient work flow to lower costs and improve output efficiency,” says company co-owner Holly Rentner.

AM Manufacturing was founded by Harold Atwood in 1961, when the company established its role in the baking industry with the development of the Scale-O-Matic Dough Divider, turning tedious manual tasks into efficient processes. Today, the company continues to manufacture dough-processing machines, which allow pizza crusts, tortilla shells and bagels to be mass-produced. A family-owned business and certified Women’s Business Enterprise, AM Manufacturing serves bakeries, commissaries, restaurants and pizza parlors around the world.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered AM Manufacturing up to $400,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority supports the project through its Deal Closing Fund. The town of Munster approved additional incentives.

Source: Area Development Site and Facility Planning Online