Cloyes Gear and Products has reacquired the Paris, Arkansas, manufacturing plant that it opened in 1963.
American Axle & Manufacturing owned the plant following its 2017 acquisition of Metaldyne Performance Group, which included Cloyes. In April 2018, Hidden Harbor Capital Partners acquired Cloyes and immediately started the process of purchasing the Paris plant to continue Cloyes’ nearly 100-year manufacturing history in the United States.
“Cloyes came to Paris in 1963 and has been a big part of the town’s economy for more than 56 years. Many of our employees have worked for Cloyes their entire adult life and have more than 30 years of seniority with the company,” said Steve Fairbanks, vice president of manufacturing for Cloyes. “It is a huge advantage for our company to be able to stay in this area and retain our employees’ skill set and wealth of knowledge. It is also a great opportunity for the town to maintain high-paying manufacturing jobs, which coincidentally are closely linked to jobs that our local career center is preparing our young and upcoming workforce for.”
The 155,000-square-foot manufacturing plant produces highly machined powertrain gears, sprockets and idler assemblies for automotive OEMs, the automotive aftermarket and marine and high-performance applications. The plant’s key processes include machining, hobbing and shaping, heat treatment and finishing. The facility is home to a quality and metrology laboratory that supports manufacturing and engineering product development.
“Our team is focused on growing the Cloyes brand and business, which is evident with our continued investments in marketing, sales personnel, global expansion, manufacturing and overall operations,” said John Bohenick, CEO of Fort Smith-based Cloyes. “Cloyes, the management team and the owners are committed to our customers, the communities we work and live in, our people and to the betterment of the industries we serve. We will continue to work to be a leading supplier by providing exceptional products, quality and service to all customers.”
