CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S. — Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) announced on Dec. 11 that it has selected Erlanger, Kentucky, U.S., as the site for its new information technology and support center. The center, which will open in the second half of 2015, will be located on the same campus as ADM’s WILD Flavors Erlanger offices.

“We are excited to expand our presence and create jobs in Erlanger by establishing our new technology center there,” said Marty Schoenthaler, ADM’s chief information officer. “ADM is growing, and this new center will help ensure that our IT support and infrastructure are able to support that growth.

“We considered other locations, but in the end, co-locating this facility with our WILD Flavors offices in Erlanger offered us a wealth of advantages,” Schoenthaler said. “One of the ways in which ADM is making ongoing progress in enhancing returns is through careful consideration of costs throughout the business. In this case, we are controlling costs by using available space in a building we already own, and also by benefitting from tax incentives offered by the commonwealth. We will also be able to recruit from a strong local talent pool in northern Kentucky, and we will have quick and easy access to a major airport. This is a great example of the many synergies that we’re realizing following the WILD acquisition.”

The center will open in the second half of 2015 with approximately 100 contractors and ADM colleagues. The staff will eventually expand to approximately 200 ADM colleagues. The majority of the positions will be newly created as ADM expands its global IT support and infrastructure. In addition, 1ADM — the planning and implementation of the company’s new enterprise resource planning system — will be supported at the new facility.

ADM will maintain its existing IT center at the company’s North American headquarters in Decatur, Illinois, U.S., and will also continue delivering IT services from several other ADM locations throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Eventually, ADM will be recruiting to fill a wide variety of positions at the Erlanger center, including project managers, business analysts and solution integrators.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has preliminarily approved tax incentives of up to $5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. In order to qualify for the incentives, ADM has committed to recruit heavily in Kentucky for newly created positions at the center. KEDFA also approved ADM for tax benefits of up to $200,000 through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act.