One of the biggest surprises – and announcements – from Mayor Tom Henry’s State of the City address had little to do with city government at all.COLUMBUS, Ind. – Cummins Inc. is recalling 400 laid-off workers as it resumes production at a Columbus factory, while nearly 300 people lost their jobs as an auto parts company idled a plant in nearby Shelbyville.
Cummins is preparing to resume production of the Dodge Ram engine at its Columbus MidRange Engine Plant with one shift beginning July 13. The company shut down the plant and laid off 720 employees in May after Chrysler stopped vehicle production during its bankruptcy proceedings.
Cummins spokesman Mark Land said the plant would produce engines for the 2009 model Ram through mid-August but that it would be idled again until Chrysler starts building the truck’s 2010 model. He said that workers were expected to be called back again in October.
Land said Cummins has “solid commitments” from Chrysler for the 2010 Dodge Ram.
“We were confident,” Land said of continuing business with Chrysler. “But it’s nice to see that it’s really happening.”
Developments were less encouraging at the Meridian Automotive Systems factory in Shelbyville, where the company told city officials on Thursday that it was closing the plant for an indefinite period.
The announcement came less than month after Meridian announced it planned to lay off 198 workers from the plant in stages over the summer.
The company in Allen Park, Mich., had said then that the layoffs were necessary because it had lost a major customer, which it did not identify. Meridian has made parts for several automotive companies.
