BorgWarner to close Muncie plant in May

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Auto-parts supplier BorgWarner Inc. has given its final notice to Indiana officials that its Muncie plant will close this spring.

The company announced two years ago that it would shut down the factory, which then had about 750 workers. United Auto Workers Local 287 President Bill McIntosh said more than 400 people have already been laid off from the plant.

BorgWarner told the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that it expected final layoffs to continue through May 1. The plant produces drive train transfer cases for the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The plant's closing was announced after union workers declined to open contract negotiations about three years early.

Local Chamber of Commerce president Dan Allen says BorgWarner was considering demolishing much of the 1.3 million-square-foot factory.