Automotive parts manufacturer Android Industries is headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI. But in March, when the company decided to build a new plant, it looked south – to right-to-work Indiana.

Android’s Fort Wayne, IN, plant brought 66 jobs and nearly $9 million of investment to the Hoosier State. The company cited Indiana’s right-to-work law, signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels on February 1, as an impetus for the decision.

“Android chose Indiana and specifically Fort Wayne because it’s both an employee- and employer-friendly environment,” said vice president of human resources David Donnay. “Recently, Indiana became a right-to-work state and offers us a competitive location and a skilled work force to complement our state of the art technology.”

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder just signed right-to-work into law in his state. While critics of the policy complain that he did not campaign on the issue, Snyder suggests that Indiana’s move forced his hand.

“They did similar legislation back in February,” Snyder said in a recent Fox News appearance. “They’ve seen thousands of jobs come to Indiana, and those jobs could also come to Michigan.” He might have added: instead of from Michigan.

“They’ve had 90 companies in the pipeline for economic development say this was a factor in deciding to look to come to Indiana,”Snyder said of the state’s right-to-work law at a news conference earlier this year, citing statistics from the  Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “That’s thousands of jobs. We need more and better jobs in Michigan.”

According to IEDC, 67 planned projects in Indiana have reached the “pipeline stage,” and 31 companies have said they will move operations to the state, resulting in an estimated 3,700 new jobs and $431 million in investment.

Android is not the only company to single out Indiana’s right-to-work law as a motivator.

“The state of Indiana and the local economic development folks have shown a willingness to do what is necessary to attract businesses to our state,” said Nick Busche, president and CEO of machine manufacturer Busche-CNC, which announced it would add 120 jobs at its Albion, IN, factory by 2015. “The recent passage of the right-to-work law was just another example of the strong commitment by this state to promote growth and job creation.”

Other businesses had similar things to say, including:

Professional Transportation, Inc.

“PTI gave careful consideration when evaluating where to expand its transportation services with the Coach acquisition,” according to Steve McClellan, Vice President of Professional Transportation. “Based on the resources of qualified workers and exceptional local universities, Evansville, Indiana was naturally selected as the expansion area of choice.”

SealCorpUSA:

Right to Work, tax incentives and economic development programs are really the key to creating jobs and SealCorpUSA is a real company with real jobs. And because of the work GAGE and IEDC has done on this project, SealCorp is making the commitment to create more jobs for the next 10 years here in Evansville.

Steel Dynamics:

“We are appreciative that Indiana continues to be a state where Steel Dynamics can expand our product offering and increase our productivity while further establishing our future in our Pittsboro home,” said Barry Schneider, vice president and general manager of Steel Dynamics’ engineered bar products division. “The recent enactment of the right-to-work legislation is further evidence of Indiana’s commitment to providing the most competitive business environment possible for global companies like us to grow.”

Whayne Supply:

With leaders at both the local and state levels committed to our expansion efforts, Indiana has cultivated a pro-business environment with its outstanding infrastructure, talented workforce and recent legislation to lower taxes and become a right-to-work state. All of this provides the perfect setting for Whayne Supply’s growth plans and made our decision to continue to invest in southwest Indiana an easy one.

(h/t NFIB)