Dixon plant to hire 20
DIXON – Air filter manufacturer Donaldson Co. is adding a third shift and 20 new employees to its plant in south Dixon, the company confirmed Wednesday.
The increased work force is a rare bright spot in a bleak economy marked by double-digit unemployment and frequent plant closures.
The plant at 815 Progress Drive now has 190 employees, and sells about $46 million a month in air filters and filtration materials, plant General Manager Dolan Bartels said.
Bartels expects the third shift to grow as production ramps up, and anyone interested in a job should apply at a local temp agency. The company plans to transition employees to full time after 30 days, he said.
Donaldson is an international corporation headquartered in Minneapolis. Its customers include Caterpillar, Boeing, several U.S. military contractors, and automobile aftermarket part manufacturers.
Bartels credited a growing demand in the automobile and military engine market for the decision to add another shift.
The slowed economy has kept cars on the road longer, and increasing demand for replacement parts to keep them running, he said.
The Dixon plant also adds nano-filtration materials, which trap microscopic pollutants such as smoke particles, to filter fabric it ships to other Donaldson plants.
