Northwest Iowa — Thursday afternoon, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, along with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, announced the names of the recipients of Manufacturing 4.0 Workforce Innovation and Technology Investment Grants.
One manufacturer in Lyon County and another in Sioux County will receive a share of the $20-million in Workforce Innovation grants announced Thursday. Diversified Technologies, Inc., in George is the recipient of a pair of grants totaling $324,000, according to information from Governor Reynolds’s Office. In Sioux County, Kooima Company, LLC was announced as the recipient of a grant of $500,000. These grants are geared toward Iowa manufacturers with 76-250 employees across locations investing in Industry 4.0 technologies to address workforce issues exacerbated by the negative impacts of COVID-19. The maximum grant amount was $500,000 and a minimum match of 25% was required.
In addition, four KIWA-listening area firms were among 37 statewide to be awarded a share of $1.9 million in Technology Investment grants for companies with 3-75 employees for projects that encompass the adoption and integration of smart technologies. These smaller companies received grants of up to $75,000 and a minimum match of 1:1 was required.
Receiving these grants were; Heartland Millworks of Larchwood, Simply Said, Inc. of Rock Rapids; Plasticology of Hawarden; and Siouxland Fabricating of Rock Valley. Each of the four were awarded a $50,000 Equipment Technology Investment Program Grant.
Iowa’s Manufacturing 4.0 plan, a roadmap to help Iowa manufacturers remain globally competitive through a fourth industrial revolution that emphasizes automation and smart technology, was launched in February 2021.
The grants were funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
