OTC to train workers for Detroit Tool's expanded Lebanon operations

Ozarks Technical Community College has forged a job-training partnership with Detroit Tool Metal Products Co., a manufacturer that is consolidating its operations in Lebanon and plans to hire an additional 225 people by the end of 2010.

Detroit Tool announced last month that it would close its Fort Madison, Iowa, manufacturing facility by year's end and move all operations to Lebanon. The company specializes in full-service precision metal stamping and fabrication for a broad range of markets, including appliances, agriculture, construction, consumer products, trucking, heavy equipment, pharmaceutical and recreational products.

OTC will directly support job training for up to 250 Detroit Tool employees by offering a robotic welding-specific course in advanced manufacturing. OTC has welding labs in Springfield and Lebanon.

Detroit Tool's expansion plans in Lebanon call for a new engineering center with an emphasis on tooling design, product improvement, improved manufacturing processes, product qualification and new product design, according to a Detroit Tool news release.

The new jobs at Detroit Tool will pay an average living wage of $12 to $15.75 an hour, according to OTC. The company plans to hire 75 employees by December; another 75 by May; and 75 more by December 2010.

Detroit Tool's partnership suppliers include John Deere, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Case/New Holland and Caterpillar. In March, Detroit Tool landed a $1.4 million contract with New Jersey-based DRS Technologies Inc., which operates a heavy manufacturing facility in West Plains. DRS is a supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors.