A private investor has purchased the former Ackerman Forge in Ackerman, MS, and will operate it as Mississippi Forge. The steel forging operation will produce forged flanges and fittings for piping systems.
According to a statement, Mississippi Forge (PVF), Inc. is paying $9 million for the operation, which was established as Taylor Forge in the 1960s and later operated as a unit of Trinity Industries. Records show Ackerman Forge was established in 2005.
Brent Christensen, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, the state’s economic and community development agency, stated the plant has been vacant for several years.
The new owner’s announcement indicated it would be complementing the existing mechanical forging press equipment with new machining centers as it resumes production there. It also said its effort it would establish 60 new jobs over three years.
“Our aim in reopening the plant in Ackerman, Mississippi is to provide the North American market with 100% locally produced, high-quality forgings,” stated Jigar Kadakia, president of Mississippi Forge.
“Each year, billions of dollars’ worth of pipe fittings are being imported in the U.S.,” he continued, “and we need several such facilities to improve our trade balance and achieve manufacturing independence,” he continued.
Kadakia also is the owner and CEO of Britex Engineering, a producer of forged stainless steel flanges at Navi Mumbai, India.
Britex Engineering, also known as BEW, manufactures pipe fittings and flanges to international standards, specifically for applications in nuclear, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and other industries. The group has design engineering capability, and in addition to closed-die and open-die forging and trimming presses, it operates CNC finishing machines and offers heat-treating capability.
Kadakia thanked the MDA for help locating new equipment to the plant site, as well as city and county officials “that helped make this project a reality.”
“I am proud to welcome Mississippi Forge as the newest member of the state’s business community, and I am grateful to the company for investing in Mississippi and providing these job opportunities for the residents of Choctaw County,” stated Mississippi Governor. Phil Bryant. “I have no doubt that our skilled workforce and supportive business climate will help Mississippi Forge succeed in Ackerman.”
