J.R. Childress is up before the sun, bustling about in the French colonial brick house he built.FORT WAYNE – An Albion-based auto parts supplier Thursday announced it has won a contract that will create 40 jobs.
Busche Enterprise Inc. will machine and assemble steering knuckle assemblies for Dana Holding Corp., based in Maumee, Ohio. The parts will be used in Ford’s F-250, F-350 and F-450 pickup trucks. Production is scheduled to begin by Nov. 1.
The privately owned company declined to release a dollar value for the contract. It specializes in “medium- to high-volume production runs of the durable goods industry,” according to a company statement.
The new workers will operate computer numerical controlled, or CNC, machines to create the parts. The company has already started hiring for the positions, which will pay $12 to $18 an hour. Total employment is almost 350 people.
Busche operates five factories in Albion, one factory in Kendallville, two warehouses in Albion and one educational operation in Albion, where workers learn to use the company’s computer technology.
The Dana contract came open because the previous supplier, Metaldyne Corp., filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close its North Carolina plant, where the parts were made, Busche said in a statement. Metaldyne also cut at least 100 jobs this summer at its Edon, Ohio, plant, where it made wheel hubs for Chrysler.
Busche has won at least four other contracts since Jan. 1, creating 29 jobs, according to previously released company statements. The additional work allowed the company to recall workers laid off in April and May. All but one employee and seven contract workers had been called back to work as of Thursday, a spokeswoman said.
Company leaders credit a diversified customer base and flexible assets for their ability to weather the recession.
