Manac develops timeline to start production at Kennett

Manac's Kennett Plant will start production in the upcoming weeks offering jobs to former employees and new applicants.

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General Manager of the company's U.S. Operations, Lisa Mills, noted that the company would begin production in the next few weeks.

She added that some employees, who were laid off during the assembly reduction, would be brought back to the company, and that interviews would be conducted to find new employees.

In March of 2009, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jan McElwrath explained that Manac would be temporarily centralizing the U.S. Flatbed final assembly.

The final assembly was scheduled to take place at the Oran, Mo., plant as the Kennett plant significantly reduced assembly, according to the Chamber's report.

During the assembly reduction, representatives of Manac noted that they were "committed" to Kennett and that the city was part of their "long-term plan."

In response to the 2009 reduction, McElwrath said, "this is a temporary condition."

Manac announced plans for a facility in Kennett in early 2007, and purchased the former Riggs Distribution Systems building on the corner of Riggs and the North By-Pass. As the company opened, it hoped to bring more jobs to Kennett and add to its reputation as a North American leader in design, manufacture, sales, and service of standard and custom semitrailers.

The plan for the business, upon opening, was to employee around 150 people on the 23-acre lot in Kennett.

During the reduction of assembly in 2009, Mills explained that there were no plans to permanently close the facility or keep reduced operations in place for the long-haul.

"We are 100 percent committed to Kennett," Mills noted.

In 2009 she added that as soon as the economy began to bounce back and orders increased, the level of operations would return to normal.

Contact Manac by calling (573) 717-7111, or by visiting the Web site manac.ca.

*Information in this story is contributed to Daily Dunklin Democrat Managing Editor Deanna Coronado.