FAG Joplin receives job training grants

FAG Bearings (Germany; a division of INA Holding, Germany) received $30,000 from the state of Missouri as a job training grant, covering 90 people, at its Joplin facilities. Joplin is two facilities, FAG Bearings and FAG Automotive. FAG Bearings was the first operation in Joplin. Opening in 1970, it currently employs over 200 people producing specialty roller bearings for applications such as paper and pulp mills and heavy construction equipment. FAG Bearings is receiving $17,250 for 50 trainees at an average wage of $15 per hour. The second facility, FAG Automotive, opened its doors in 1990. It manufactures OEM automotive and light truck wheel hub assemblies. The automotive operation employs approximately 225 people and produces over 2 million hub units each year. Ford and DaimlerChrysler are key customers. In the early 1990's, FAG Joplin was involved in a widely reported Trichloroethylene (TCE) groundwater contamination complaint. The settlement ultimately cost FAG several million dollars for environmental cleanup and property loss compensation. The Missouri Customized Training Program grants are used to train and retrain more than 8,200 people each year in new and existing jobs. The effort is designed to increase and improve the quality of the state's workforce.