[11/15/01]Yorozu Automotive Mississippi will become the second parts supplier for the Nissan plant to locate in Warren County.

The company’s selection was announced in Jackson this morning by Nissan officials who are building a $17.2 million plant north of Canton.

The Yorozu plant, under construction at the Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex, will make the suspension systems for the Nissan vehicles. It will join a plant under construction for CalsonicKansei North America Inc. that will supply radiators, condensers and other parts for vans and light trucks. Calsonic was the first off-site supplier to be announced.

The facility will join McCarty Foods, Simpson Dura-Vent and Union Corrugated already in operation at Ceres. The Mississippi National Guard facility that will house the 168th Engineer Group and two platoons of 114th Military Police Company is also under construction.

Full operation is expected to be achieved in May 2003 and the company expects the two plants to have a sales volume of more than $65 million by Fiscal Year 2004. CalsonicKansei’s plant will be 140,000 square feet and cost more than $17.2 million.

Ceres is about 10 miles east of Vicksburg off Interstate 20.

Other plans at Ceres include putting in a railroad spur to connect the industrial park with the Kansas City Southern lines on the south side of I-20.

The former farmland was bought by Warren County in 1986 and, using federal grants, developed into industrial sites. Yorozu is a subsidiary of the Yorozu Corp. of Japan.

The company just completed the purchase of a 20-acre tract at Ceres near the 52 acres where the Calsonic plant is being built. The building will enclose 83,000 square feet.

When completed, Yorozu will have a $16.5 million investment in Warren County.

The plant will employ about 120 people with an estimated payroll of $5 million.

Laws Construction Co. of Jackson was selected from 13 competitors to be the general contractor.

In addition to the investment being made by Calsonic and Yorozu, Entergy is upgrading the electrical substation at Ceres with an investment of about $1 million and Warren County and the Port Commission are doing about $265,000 in road improvements. To help with the work, the Mississippi Development Authority awarded the county a community development block grant of $228,490.