Winchester's largest factory to be sold

WINCHESTER — Randolph County's largest manufacturer will not be shuttering its doors come November as previously expected.

Indiana Marujun, which employs nearly 700 people, and its assets will be sold in full to TOA Industries Co., a Japanese-based automotive parts producer, it was announced to employees late Thursday. The Winchester company, which in September 2015 said it would close down after 15 years of operation, is a subsidiary of another Japanese corporation.

The purchase — for which terms such as price and potential tax abatements have not been made public — has been in the works for a few months and will be completed in November, according to Marujun vice president of business Eric Fields.

"Negotiations began several months ago, but it was (Thursday) that an announcement was made," he said. "We're very fortunate to know that this is all in place."

TOA Industries already has a foothold in Indiana, with more than 500 jobs at its Mooresville plant, southwest of Indianapolis, including 220 added during an expansion announced in April 2014. That factory provides parts to a Subaru plant in Lafayette and a Toyota plant in Princeton. The Winchester plant could more than double the company's Indiana workforce, although it is not known how many jobs the company will retain from Marujun's workforce.

"There are certainly still some unknowns, such as how many of our people they'll be keeping on," Fields said. "We are hoping we don't have to proceed with layoffs of our hourly workers, though we've already laid off (some) of our salaried employees."

Despite the unknowns, Fields and others expressed relief in knowing there's a future for Marujun — even if it's under different ownership or has another name.

"The people here are hard workers and they've ... hung on throughout this whole process," he said. "It's good to know we're going to be around for the city of Winchester."

Greg Beumer, Indiana state representative for District 33, said he felt the deal was a long time coming.

"You never really know when things are going to pan out, you just have to be confident they will," he said. "I know Marujun had been talking to companies for quite some time, so it's nice that it's finally resolved."

Recently elected mayor Shon Byrum was ecstatic over the news, he said, noting that an "enormous weight had been lifted from the city's shoulders."

Byrum said he was informed of the news late Thursday and has since been looking forward to helping move the city forward.

"I'm very proud of the foundation that's been built here and this is a city full of opportunities for job creators," he said. "(TOA Industries) is a great example of a company that ... saw what it liked when it looked at Winchester."

Randolph County Economic Development Corp. executive director Bruce Hosier said in a Friday afternoon news release that he was encouraged by the development.

"While there is still much work to be done, we are encouraged by this agreement and look forward to ... building a better path forward for the people and communities we all (have) the privilege of serving," he said.

Efforts to reach TOA Industries for direct comment were unsuccessful through Friday afternoon.

To reach food and business development reporter Mickey Shuey, email mshuey@muncie.gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram, too, @MickeyShueyTSP.