J.W. Speaker launches $46 million expansion

Growth expected to lead to 100 jobs over 3 years

A Germantown company that makes lights for motorcycles and other vehicles has a $46 million expansion in the works that’s expected to create about 100 jobs over the next three years.

J.W. Speaker is planning the 14,000square-foot expansion at its headquarters and manufacturing operations, including the construction of buildings and a product design center.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. says it’s supporting the project by authorizing up to $450,000 in state income tax credits for J.W. Speaker over the next three years.

The actual amount of credits the company would receive is contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during that period.

J.W. Speaker says this would be its largest expansion at a single time and will give the company flexibility for its current operations, help alleviate capacity constraints and allow for additional expansion in the future.

In addition to the 100 jobs expected to be created at the company, WEDC officials estimate the project could indirectly create 75 more jobs in the region.

J.W. Speaker is a third-generation family-owned business.

The 83-year-old company specializes in producing light-emitting-diode lighting used in a variety of markets, including vehicles, mining and aviation.

Many motorcycle headlights use a fixed-beam pattern that casts light off into space when a bike enters a turn, leaving some darkness in the foreground to the left and right of the bike.

Two years ago, the company launched a product to solve that problem.

It developed a new headlight that addresses blind spots in corners and turns. An outside firm validated that it met U.S. Department of Transportation standards.

The new headlight was also aimed at making a motorcycle more visible to other motorists without blinding oncoming drivers. Its embedded sensors and electronics calculate how a bike leans into a turn, in real time, to control the light pattern.