A Canadian company has purchased an idled auto parts plant in DeKalb County. Court records indicate the plant will resume operation, but it’s unclear how many it will employ.
A federal bankruptcy court in Detroit has approved the sale of Noble International Ltd.’s Butler plant to Multimatic Inc., a privately owned auto parts maker based in Markham, Ontario.
Troy, Mich.-based Noble filed for bankruptcy in April, and it laid off all 153 Butler workers when it had difficulty finding a buyer.
Bankruptcy Judge Marci B. McIvor approved the sale to Multimatic for $1.66 million June 19, court records said.
The plant laser-welds sheets of steel together for stamping into body parts for vehicles made by Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Corp. Court documents said GM will find another supplier for the parts it has purchased from the Butler plant, while Ford and Chrysler said they want to keep buying from the plant. The loss of GM business likely means fewer workers, but an official at Multimatic declined Monday to comment on plans for the Butler plant.
All the automakers have slashed production – and parts orders – in the face of slow sales.
In asking the court to approve the sale, Noble said it was the best deal for all involved.
“Butler can be sold as a going concern, jobs can be preserved and the value of purchased assets can be maximized,” it said in its petition.
