NTN-Bower Expanding Macomb Facility(pic)

NTN-Bower Macomb NTN-Bower Corporation (USA, a division of NTN Bearing Corp. of America, a division of NTN Corp., Japan) revealed a massive physical and product line expansion program for its plant in Macomb, Indiana. President and CEO, Yasunori Terada, said in a local press release, "The expansion will be an additional 290,000 square feet with an expected completion date of December 2004." The news is all good for employees there, who have experienced several rounds of layoffs on the bearing side of the business in recent years. NTN-Bower manufactures heavy-duty cylindrical and tapered roller bearings in Macomb for trucks, forklifts, and heavy industrial equipment. A sister plant is located 600 miles away in Hamilton, Alabama. Workers in Hamilton are represented by the United Auto Workers union, but attempts to organize the Macomb plant have so far been unsuccessful. This plant expansion, however, does not come from strength in the bearing industry. Instead, Macomb's added capacity is to provide NTN-Bower with opportunities to expand beyond bearings into more "value added" products. For the first 37 years of its existence, Macomb produced only bearings. But last year, in a push to diversify, the plant won a contract to manufacture an engine fan housing for International trucks. Three more, as yet undisclosed, value-added products are planned for the expansion. Intentionally, said NTN, none directly involve bearings. Johnny Knight, Macomb Plant A Manager said, "We have been working on several projects over the past few years, which encompass more value-added products for our customers than just producing bearings. These projects are short, medium and long term, and will complement our traditional bearing manufacturing. The additional manufacturing space will allow us to install equipment for greater efficiency so we are competitive in the global markets we serve." According to sources contacted by eBearing, NTN has no plans to stop manufacturing bearings at Macomb or Hamilton. Macomb was built in 1966 by the Bower Division of Federal-Mogul Corporation (known until 1965 as Federal-Mogul Bower Bearings Inc.). In 1985, NTN joined as a joint-venture partner, forming NTN-Bower. NTN bought out Federal-Mogul's share in 1987 (in 1996, Federal-Mogul sold the BCA Ball Bearing Division to NTN). Since the NTN buyout, Macomb had been expanded by more than 110,000 square feet to make room for more production capacity. At its peak, Macomb employed more than 550 people, and as recently as mid-2000, NTN-Bower employed over half of Macomb's manufacturing workforce. Although Macomb currently employs around 400 people, their ranks should rebound substantially over the next few years as production ramps up on the new lines.