Water Valley plant expansion provides Lafayette Co. jobs

The Borg Warner plant in Water Valley was granted an expansion, which will provide approximately 120 jobs, according to a press release from the plant. 

Although there will be 120 new jobs, some of the jobs will be filled by current employees, according to Sally Williams, public relations manager at the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). 

The MDA played a role in helping the Water Valley division of Borg Warner receive their expansion by offering services such as work force training. 

The company plans to phase out some of its older product lines, which will take away some jobs, Williams said. 

Sixty to 70 new employee positions will be added, Kent Tobin, the branch manager, said in the press release.  

The Borg Warner plant will be producing a new product called mini direct-acting solenoids. In order to produce these parts that are used in cars, the factory will be adding product lines and a clean room, Williams said. 

The product is expected to be their next generation of transmission controls, Williams said. 

“They will be having two new production lines at the facility over the next three years to produce this new product,” Williams said. “They’re also going to continue supplying parts for Chrysler and General Motors, the existing transmission parts that they already produce.” 

The Water Valley division was in competition for the expansion with other Borg Warner plants, Williams said. Larry Hart, mayor of Water Valley, said the factory is one of the top employers in the town.

“Borg Warner is the major employer in our city,” Hart said. “At one time they were up around 1,400 people, then with automation and so forth came along a few years ago, we dropped back to about 700. Then the bad economy came along and knocked us back.” 

It took a combination of efforts to get the expansion, Hart said. 

“It was a team effort with the industry itself, Borg Warner Corporate Management, the state of Mississippi, Yalobusha County, and the city of Water Valley and TVA had a role in it to play,” Hart said. “It was just a team effort that came together.” 

One member of that group was the MDA, which helps recruit businesses to Mississippi, as well as works with businesses that are already here, Williams said. 

“We work with existing companies by making certain that they know that we can be a resource, checking in with them to see if they need anything that the state could assist with, checking to see if they might have opportunities to expand in the future that we might be able to help them with,” Williams said. 

Borg Warner in Water Valley told MDA that there was a possibility of an expansion during a routine meeting, Williams said. However, they did not have many details at the time.   A few months later they contacted the MDA to let them know that an opportunity had developed, Williams said.