By John Howell Sr.
and Billy Davis

Officials from Parker Hannifin have announced an expansion that will create 50 new jobs, Batesville plant manager Lisa Chism has confirmed.

The 50 new workers will join about 145 workers presently at the plant, located in east Batesville.

Parker Hannifin is a global leader in motion control technologies and systems with 2009 sales in excess of $10 billion.

The expansion accommodates additional production of refrigerant control and containment component for automotive, heavy-duty truck and off-road air conditioning applications.

Parker Hannifin, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets, according to the company.

The company’s products are integral to the manufacture and processing of raw materials, durable goods, infrastructure development and all forms of transport.

Key to the Batesville expansion was “landing a new contract that was in the same market as products produced at the Batesville plant,” said Chism, Batesville plant manager since January 2009.

Panola Partnership Chief Executive Officer Sonny Simmons  worked with the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and Parker Hannifin officials to provide the company with $200,000 in Job Protection funds and workforce training to assist with the project.

The company also took advantage of the MDA’s Existing Manufacturers Job Rebate Program to help facilitate the expansion, Simmons said.

“I am pleased we were able to assist Parker Hannifin with its Batesville expansion,” said MDA Executive Director Gray Swoope.

“The company’s decision to expand in Mississippi further demonstrates its confidence in the state’s workforce, and I commend company officials for their continued investment in the state and for creating additional jobs in Panola County.”

Parker’s new hirings comes on the heels of a job expansion at GE Aviation, which expects to top 475 jobs by 2012.

Despite the bumpy economy, Panola County has experienced 200 new jobs in the past 24 months and $200 million in new investments, said Simmons.

Among other promising job news, Simmons included Steelmatic Wire in Sardis, and Anderson Technologies and Toyoda Gosei in Batesville.