SMW Manufacturing, which opened the doors of its Oxford plant in 2017, recently announced it is expanding and looking to hire more workers in coming weeks.

Located in the former Caterpillar building, SMW Manufacturing makes parts for heavy truck, automotive, mining, construction and industrial markets.

SMW Manufacturing said this week it is investing $4 million and creating 25 jobs at its Oxford location. According to the Mississippi Development Authority, the move comes after the company met its goal of hiring 50 employees by the end of this year. Jeff Busby, president of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, said this kind of growth is ideal for the LOU community.

“This is exactly what we hoped would happen with this company,” Busby said. “SMW started small, but promised to grow over the next few years.  They are putting people in Lafayette County to work with great pay and benefits, and we support them and their business growth.”

For the expansion, SMW is relocating equipment from Minnesota to Mississippi to accommodate the increased production. The 180,000 square foot facility specializes in cold forming and machining space, and will continue to add new jobs over the next four years, according to a recent news release.

Mississippi Development Authority spokeswoman Tammy Craft said the state will give SMW $125,000 to relocate equipment. However, Craft said no local tax breaks are planned.

Rich DesCoteaux, SMW general manager and vice president of operations, said the company has been pleasantly surprised by the success they’ve seen over the last year in Mississippi.

“The team chosen to manage and operate the Mississippi location are all locally grown talent; SMW did not transplant a single employee,” DesCoteaux said in a recent news release. “Because of the get-it-done attitude and ability to learn new concepts, the plans to populate new business into Oxford have been accelerated. We greatly appreciate the support provided by the state of Mississippi, Lafayette County and the city of Oxford.”

SMW Manufacturing is a privately owned company that was founded in 2004. Its headquarters is located in Michigan, with Oxford being the first plant located outside of the Great Lakes State.

Across the board, the LOU community has seen the creation of 1,590 new jobs in the last year. Unemployment rates decreased by 4.2 percent. 1,980 residents, and counting, hold manufacturing jobs.

According to Jon Maynard, president and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, this growth would not have been possible without the contributions of SMW Manufacturing.

“We have been excited to work with SMW since day one. They are a hard working company that has grown quickly,” Maynard said. “Their determination to grow in the Oxford facility is beginning to produce additional jobs in Lafayette County, and we expect to see steady growth for many years to come.”