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Federal Mogul to Remain in Maysville

Terry Prather, The Ledger Independent

Employees of Federal Mogul received an early Christmas present last week, with the announcement the Maysville facility will remain in operation.

The good news comes six months after the company announced the Maysville plant would close effective June 30, 2015.

Plant Manager Danita Applegate made the announcement mid-afternoon on December 11 to employees at both Federal Mogul locations.

Applegate, who has been with the company 26 years, said the news means 100 employees will remain employed, and there is a possibility more jobs will be created in the future.  Applegate said there has been some attrition of employees since it was announced the plant would close, and she is grateful to other manufacturing employers who have hired on those employees.

"We're going to make the best product we can," Applegate said.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office made the announcement via a press release to media outlets.

The facility had been scheduled to close as part of a realignment of the company’s North American distribution network.

Employees leaving their shift Thursday at 4:30 p.m., said the news was especially welcome at Christmas time.

"We're excited about it, it's a good thing”, said Sharla Baker.

"It's definitely exciting news for a lot of people," said Elizabeth Thornton, who hopes to continue working at the plant when her temporary status expires in July.

One man, who also works as a temporary, said the news was "a weight of their shoulders", referring to full-time employees.

Thirteen year employee Julie Sullivan said it was a shock when it was announced the plant would close, and while she had heard rumors that might change, she wasn't sure what would happen.

"It's really good news," Sullivan said.

According to the press release from Beshear's office, upon hearing of the closure, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development reached out to Federal-Mogul Motorparts to offer support and discuss options to keep the company in Maysville. The discussions played a role in the company deciding to remain in the Commonwealth. Federal-Mogul Motorparts now plans to turn the Kentucky operation into its dedicated North American product logistics center.

“This is very exciting news for northeastern Kentucky and the entire commonwealth,” said Beshear. “Kentucky is dedicated to not only attracting new businesses, but also supporting our existing industries. Today’s announcement is a prime example of how we work with companies to solve problems and create new opportunities for growth and success. I want to thank Federal-Mogul Motorparts for its renewed commitment to our state and 100 Kentucky families.”

Federal-Mogul Motorparts currently receives, inspects and distributes unsold products and other items from its wholesale customers at multiple facilities across the U.S. The company, which manufactures and distributes more than 97,000 product stock keeping units for automotive, commercial vehicle, industrial and other North American markets, will consolidate this function in Maysville after existing product distribution operations are realigned.

“We are very pleased to be able to bring this good news to our Maysville team and the citizens of Mason County,” said Kenneth Burns, Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ senior vice president of global supply chain and quality. “Maysville has played an important part in our success over the past 21 years, and we believe in its new role it can help us enhance the efficiency of a very complex business process.”

“I’m very excited to see Federal-Mogul stay here in Maysville,” said State Rep. Mike Denham of Maysville. “I want to thank Gene Weaver with the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development authority, and Secretary Larry Hayes and Deputy Commissioner John Bevington at the Cabinet for Economic Development. Their hard work and the perseverance of Kentucky’s state, local and county officials not only saved 100 jobs, but also created a great opportunity in northeastern Kentucky. I also want to thank Ken Burns, Danita Applegate and all of Federal-Mogul’s local employees. Without their dedication and strong work ethic, none of this would have been possible.”

“It’s like getting a new industry, and industry is the lifeblood of Maysville,” said Mayor David Cartmell. “Federal-Mogul has been a longtime partner in Maysville’s success.”

“This is great news for Maysville and Mason County,” said Mason County Judge-Executive James “Buddy” Gallenstein. “Federal-Mogul has been a valued corporate partner with this community. ”

Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML), the parent company of Federal-Mogul Motorparts, is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets.

Founded in Detroit in 1899, Federal-Mogul Motorparts employs more than 45,000 people.

The Ledger Independent is online at: http://www.maysville-online.com