Dana to build Texas plant, sell Mr. Gasket business

3/30/2001

Dana Corp. of Toledo said yesterday it plans to break ground soon on 69 acres in eastern Texas for a 211,000-square-foot plant that will supply parts for a General Motors Corp. assembly operation in nearby Shreveport, La.

The plant, in Longview, is to be open by March, 2002, and is to employ about 450 hourly and salaried workers with Dana's Structural Solutions Group. It will make frame and other structural parts for an undisclosed GM vehicle.

Also yesterday, the company said it will sell its Mr. Gasket, Inc., business to Performance Products Industries LLC of Brooklyn, O. The sale is part of a strategy to focus on axles and engine parts.

Mr. Gasket makes ignition parts, fuel pumps, and chrome accessories for high-performance cars. The unit had sales of $66 million last year and has 310 employees at plants in Cleveland and Carson City, Nev.