RICHMOND, Ind. – National Manufacturing Group is expanding its operations in Richmond following its January 2026 acquisition of JM Hutton, bringing new production contracts and the potential for dozens of new jobs.

The acquisition made Richmond the company’s first Indiana operation. Founded in 2019, National Manufacturing now operates eight facilities across Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana.

President Richard Grise said acquiring JM Hutton expanded the company’s fabrication capabilities by adding stamping operations.

“JM Hutton offered stamping capabilities. We don’t do stamping today,” Grise said. “So that also catapults us into stampings for stamped cabs. It’s a different type of process for us which is helping us expand our customer base.”

National Manufacturing produces composite and fiberglass components for agricultural, transportation and heavy equipment manufacturers, including tractor hoods, train interiors and exteriors, and metal truck cabs.

Before the acquisition, JM Hutton was primarily known for casket manufacturing, with limited fabrication work for local companies. Grise said the company has since secured three new contracts in truck cab manufacturing, data center components and additional fabrication work.

Since January, the company has invested about $1.3 million in machinery and equipment, including robotic welders and automated handling systems. Grise said National Manufacturing expects to invest roughly another $5 million as renovations and expansion continue.

The company initially expected to add about 37 jobs, but growing demand could increase that number.

“I think right now we’re focused on for the rest of this year, we’ll probably add somewhere around 30 new jobs. Next year I think is when our production will really start to take off and that should probably add as many as another 30 positions,” Grise said.

The company has already increased employment by about 15% and is hiring for manufacturing and professional positions, including engineering, production managers, schedulers, quality personnel, forklift drives and machine operators.

Grise said Richmond’s experienced manufacturing workforce helped attract investment.

“The capabilities here and the expertise from the manufacturing side… were well satisfied. Certainly, the availability of the workforce and their experience and capabilities was very attractive to us,” he said.

The acquisition also brought stability to employees after months of uncertainty.

“We probably would not have made it through February. We probably would have shut down at that point had they not stepped in,” said Human Resources Manager Vicki Dawes.

Dawes said nearly the entire production workforce remained with the company after the transition.

“The tenure here is large,” Dawes said. “We have people that have been here since 1985.”

While National Manufacturing plans to diversify production, Grise said preserving JM Hutton’s history remains important.

“They’re the oldest casket manufacturer in the United States. To me, preserving that legacy was very important as well. We just want to expand on it and grow it."