Manufacturer closing Muncie firm, laying off 130 workers

Less than three years after acquiring a manufacturer of metal components with operations in Muncie, JD Norman Industries Inc. has decided to close the facility and terminate its 130 employees in December.

The permanent layoffs are expected to occur between Dec. 15 and Dec. 31, according to a notice from JD Norman dated Oct. 11 and filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

Founded in 1978, the plant is located at 3301 W. Mt. Pleasant Blvd. in Muncie. Workers at the 37,000-square-foot plant manufacture components including coil housings, shift forks, sprockets, ball cams, pistons and shift cams.

Based in Addison, Illinois, JD Norman serves major original equipment manufacturers of automotive, industrial and transportation products. It counts several locations in North America and Europe. Earlier this year, it acquired plants in Germany and Romania.

The firm took over the Muncie plant as part of its acquisition of Henman Engineering & Manufacturing Inc. in January 2016. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Henman Engineering & Machine will be fully integrated within the JD Norman business operating system. We believe our history of integrating acquisitions and operating as one company has best positioned JD Norman to perform for our customers,” CEO Justin D. Norman said at the time in a media release. “I am honored to welcome the highly skilled employees of Henman Engineering & Machine to the JD Norman team.”