New $55M facility will supply parts for new FCA plant, create jobs

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Mayor Mike Duggan and Dakkota Integrated Systems announced a new $55 million facility that will supply parts for the new FCA assembly plant.

Duggan said 625 jobs will be created at a new 600,000 square foot plant at the site of the vacant Kettering and Rose schools on Detroit's east side. Kettering High School has been vacant since 2012 and Rose Elementary School closed in 2006.

“As soon as we finished the FCA deal, we immediately got to work to bring suppliers to the area. Today, we’re announcing one of the first -- thanks to Andra Rush and Dakkota, which will bring hundreds more jobs to the east side,” Duggan said in a release. “Even better, Dakkota has agreed to give Detroiters first shot at these jobs, and residents can sign up to prepare for these jobs today through Detroit at Work.”

The new Dakkota plant will supply parts to various FCA Michigan-based manufacturing facilities, and offer 625 jobs in assembly operations, material handling, quality inspection, skilled trades and logistics.

Dakkota says it is committed to hiring Detroiters through the Detroit at Work priority list. Returning citizens also will have an opportunity to participate in the entire job application process, since Dakkota’s job application “bans the box,” deleting the question that asks whether an applicant has been convicted of a felony. When the application process is open, Dakkota will interview first froma list of Detroiters who have registered through Detroit at Work, before engaging the public. To get on the priority list, applicants must live in the city of Detroit, meet Dakkotta's job criteria and attend a Detroit at Work Job Readiness event.

Detroit residents can pre-register now here to attend a Job Readiness Event.

The City and Dakkota will lead a community engagement process to communicate the impact of the project on surrounding neighborhoods and work with residents to address community concerns.

Construction is expected to begin within 60 days of the closing. The plant is slated to begin operating assembly lines in late 2020.

Back in May, the mayor, along with FCA executives, made a $1.6 billion investment at the Mack Avenue engine plant to re-tool and expand, creating nearly 4,000 new jobs. The Detroit City Council approved the land swap deal to provide FCA with the needed acreage.