4/27/2007 - Project Jupiter Latest Example of Manufacturing Rebirth

JACKSON, Miss. (April 27, 2007) — Project Jupiter in Lowndes County is the latest evidence of a remarkable manufacturing revival that Mississippi has undergone in the last four years. The talk four years ago was of plant closings, but during this term, Gov. Haley Barbour, the Legislature and local officials have worked together to bring some of the biggest names in global manufacturing to Mississippi. Mississippi’s success in targeting the transportation industry is becoming legendary among manufacturers and economic developers. The Mississippi Manufacturers Association (MMA) commends the Legislature on its quick action on the incentives package to bring these 800 high-paying, highly skilled jobs to Lowndes County. “This latest vote by the Legislature caps four years of responding to the needs of new and existing manufacturers to rebuild this vital part of our economy that directly employs 180,000 people, and contributes $12 billion to the state’s gross state product,” said Jay C. Moon, CEcD, president and CEO of MMA. “There is no talk today about manufacturing fading away, but of a renewed vitality.” He listed the following major manufacturers that have been the subject of legislation this term:

• Northrop Grumman, Pascagoula, to modernize the shipyard to ensure the state’s largest employer wins Navy and Coast Guard contracts.
• Toyota, Blue Springs, to land one of the worlds top car makers.
• Baxter Health Care, Cleveland, loans and grants to retain jobs at the Delta’s largest private employer and a global leader in the health care industry.
• SeverCorr, Columbus, to land the world’s most modern steel plant.
• Rentech, Natchez, to bring a cutting edge energy facility that will make gas out of coal.
• Eurocopter, Columbus, to bring the companys manufacturing operations to Mississippi.
• Viking Range, Greenwood, for expansion of the plant for a new product line.
• Mueller Copper Tube, Fulton, for assistance in retaining the plant.
• Timtech, Scooba, a start up industry that will use a new manufacturing technique utilizing Mississippi’s forest resources.

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