PORT HURON, Michigan ---
Ken Hyatt
walked between the rows of machinery Monday afternoon at Mapal
Inc.
"If you look
around, probably half of the people working right now have been
here less than six months," said Hyatt of Saginaw, a padded-tool
supervisor who started work at the plant in December.
But the new
faces at the plant aren't because of a high turnover rate. They
are the result of an expansion.
Last April,
Mapal was one of three St. Clair County manufacturers that
announced plans to expand and create new jobs in the area.
Combined, Mapal, Shawmut Corp. and GMA Cover Corp. expected to
create more than 130 new jobs.
While each
company is at a different stage of its expansion, all expect
more jobs to be on the way, which is welcome news for the area.
According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic
Growth's most recent statistics for February, St. Clair County
had an unemployment rate of 9.9%, while Port Huron's was 14%.
The state average is 6.9%.
"Given
today's economic conditions, these expansions definitely have
been a bright spot in some very difficult economic times," said
Doug Alexander, executive director of the Economic Development
Alliance of St. Clair County. "It's good news when there really
hasn't been that much good news."
The EDA
helped put together incentives packages for all three companies.
Mapal Inc.
Last April,
officials at Mapal, which specializes in precision cutting
tools, were faced with the tough decision of expanding their
Port Huron Township operation while closing a plant in New
Jersey.
The German
company invested $1.5 million in new machinery and brought in
equipment from the New Jersey plant and a plant in Germany.
Officials expected the new equipment would create 35 new jobs.
That figure
has been surpassed.
Robert Reed,
vice president of operations, said the company has added 45 new
jobs to the existing 90 employees. About 20 jobs also were
transferred to the plant from New Jersey.
Reed said
production for the first quarter is up more than 100% from last
year and is up 75% without even counting the work that has come
from New Jersey.
Chief
Executive Officer Andrew Tanner expects to talk with the owner
of Mapal in June about another expansion.
Rick Neely,
44, of Port Huron found himself a new job because of Mapal's
expansion last year. He began working as a welder and brazer at
the plant in October.
Neely had
worked at Huron House in
Port Huron for about three years, and he wanted a change. He had heard
good things about Mapal and thought it seemed like a secure
place to work.
"I wanted
someplace secure, someplace where I wasn't worried the operation
was going to be moved to
Mexico," Neely said. "I felt that here, felt like they're
here to stay and grow."
Kasia Taylor
also had heard good things about Mapal and had been trying to
get hired for more than a year. About a month ago, she started
working full time as a custodian.
She had been
working part time for Head Start and as a waitress, but she was
looking for a full-time job with benefits.
"I was so
relieved to find this," said
Taylor,
19, of Port Huron. "There's no more searching for a job, which
is so stressful because there's nothing out there right now."
GMA Cover Corp.
GMA Cover
Corp.'s in-city move has created 40 new jobs for the area, and
more are on the way.
Last April,
the company, which makes camouflaged covers for military use,
announced it had bought the former Waltec Forgings Inc. building
at 2440 20th St. in Port Huron. GMA Cover Corp. had been leasing
the building at
1314 Cedar St.
Along with
the move came an investment of $2 million of additional
machinery and equipment for its new location. Company officials
estimated 25 jobs would be added to the existing work force of
65.
"We've been
able to add a couple of different product lines," company
President Brian Keller said. "That's really what's allowed us to
create the new jobs."
Keller also
estimates the plant will add another 15 jobs in the next couple
of months.
The Canadian
company, which opened a plant in
Port Huron
in 1992, also has a facility in Guelph, Ontario.
Shawmut Corp.
Auto-parts
company Shawmut Corp. announced plans last April 26 for a $2.75
million expansion that would add 72 jobs to its 90-person staff.
While the
plant hasn't undergone the expected physical expansion, it has
expanded in terms of staff and production, said Justin Keppy,
director of Michigan operations for Shawmut of Massachusetts.
Keppy said
more than 50 jobs have been created at the Port Huron plant
since last April's announcement, and he expects another 25 to 30
new jobs to be added within the next six months to a year.
"It's been a
good thing that we've been able to bring more jobs to the area
without having to invest in bricks and mortar," said Keppy, who
expects the plant to physically expand within the next year.
The new jobs
are a result of the plant's venture into a different area. Die
cutting and forming of covering materials for visors, sunroof
shades, headliners and other interior automotive applications
now are done at the plant, which had dealt mainly with laminated
interior trim parts. Keppy said this product expansion has led
markets to recognize Shawmut as more of a one-stop place for
their supplies.
John
Williams was unemployed for about six months before starting at
Shawmut in December. Williams, 54, of
Port Huron
heard from a friend the company was hiring and decided to put in
an application.
Williams, a
press operator at the plant, had worked in a variety of fields
before, including automotive and human resources. But even his
past experiences didn't help in the tough job market.
"It's a
tight market out there, no matter what field you're looking in,"
he said. "I heard what a great place this was to work at, and I
thought there was the potential for growth. I consider myself
lucky to be working here today."
Author: Erin Kosnac
Source: Times Herald
Associated URL:
www.thetimesherald.com
Source Date: April 21, 2005
