The fiber optics company viaPhoton is opening a new factory in Aurora. CEO Baber Abbas says he wants manufacturing in the U.S.
The company is already hiring engineers and people to work on the manufacturing line. Abbas expects production to be in full swing by September. The company expects to hire around thirty people now, but plans to bring on around 200 employees in the next few years. The factory is going in the company’s headquarters just off I-88 and west of Route 59.
The company says it’s investing $5-million to build the new factory. An Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity spokeswoman says viaPhoton isn’t receiving any tax incentives for the new factory from the state, but will be able to claim credits on its tax returns for research and development expenses. Abbas says the company could make use of a new apprenticeship tax incentive program too.
Having fiber optic lines across the state has been a goal of Governor JB Pritzker. Weeks ago, Facebook announced the construction of a new data center in DeKalb.
