Former IAC factory sold for $13.5M

HURON — A beverage packaging company purchased the former International Automotive Components (IAC) factory on Sawmill Parkway in Huron for $13.5 million. The purchase was made by Ardagh Metal Beverage USA Inc., according to the Erie County Auditor's Office. "We are very excited that it appears the facility is going to be repositioned so soon after the closure of IAC," Huron city manager Matt Lasko said. "(Ardagh) is a huge company that's growing its presence in the U.S., so it's good news for the economy of the city and Erie County." The company is a division of the Ardagh Group, a Luxemburg-based company. Since its founding in Dublin, Ireland, in 1932, the company has grown to become a global leader in glass and metal packaging. It employs 16,000 people in 56 factories in a dozen countries and has about $7 billion in global sales. The company has 11 processing facilities in the United States that package beverages into aluminum cans, including a factory in Fremont. Spokespeople for the company didn't return calls or messages from the Register about its plans for the Huron facility. Lasko said the city had a few discussions with the new owner's broker, but he didn't know the company's specific plans for the facility. "The company just closed on the property last week, so there isn't a lot of information at this time about its plans," Lasko said. "Hopefully, more information will come out in the next couple of weeks." IAC bought the factory in 2007 and built automotive components, including interior trim, until the company shut down the factory in August following the end of its agreement with an automotive company.