Private Equity Is Breaking Metal Powder Products (MPP)

IUE-CWA Union workers protest Private Equity at Metal Powder Industry trade show in Chattanooga, Tenn., on October 26.

Mill Point Capital Asset Stripping Is Putting Workers, Communities, and Customers at Risk

John Deere (NYSE:John-Deere (NYSE:DE) )

CHATTANOOGA, TN, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Sunday, October 26, 2025, CWA supporters greeted attendees at the annual Powdered Metal Management Summit held in Chattanooga, Tenn., with critical information about Metal Powder Products (MPP), which manufactures engineered metal components for a number of customers, including Danfoss, Hydro-Gear, John Deere (NYSE:DE), Bosch Rexroth, Takako America, Fass Diesel, and others.

The union’s complaints revolve around the impact that Private Equity ownership has had upon MPP’s operations.

MPP’s Campbellsburg, Ind., facility used to be a reliable place to work and a strong part of the metal powder industry. But since private equity firm Mill Point Capital took over in 2018, the company has been drained of the very resources it needs to thrive.

ASSET STRIPPING: In 2021, Mill Point sold MPP’s buildings and grounds to MAG Capital Partners. Now, MPP pays rent on its own facilities, siphoning money away from production and growth.
UNDERINVESTMENT: Machinery and facilities fall into disrepair, and workers face dangerous heat and metal dust exposure.
DETERIORATING JOBS: Retirement contributions cut, vacation policies gutted, maintaining health care that is prohibitively expensive for many, unlivable wages.
WORKFORCE INSTABILITY: With unsafe conditions and shrinking benefits, MPP struggles to retain skilled workers, threatening the reliability and timeliness customers depend on.

“This is the private equity model: extract as much as possible, as quickly as possible, and then leave workers, communities, customers, and future buyers to deal with the fallout. MPP workers refuse to let that happen,” said Kindre Batliner, IUE-CWA organizer.

“By forming a union with IUE-CWA, we are fighting for safe facilities, real investment in the company, and a fair contract that fixes retention issues so MPP can continue delivering the quality and reliability our customers depend on,” said Randall Baker, Steward at MPP Campbellsburg.

Jesse Merat, Vice President of IUE-CWA Local 88502, which already represents two other MPP locations in St.Marys, Pa.—the world's capital for graphite manufacturing and a big center for powdered metal parts manufacturing—is concerned that MPP overall is falling behind his other represented shops. “If Mill Point Capital wants a success story with their MPP investment, they better start treating people right and putting money back into the business—to make sure it thrives. We want to be able to tell a turnaround story, not a run-into-the-ground one.”

IUE-CWA Local 88502 is bargaining with MPP in Campbellsburg, Ind., and will soon begin bargaining for a contract at St.Marys, Pa. In Indiana, bargaining has dragged on for more than a year, largely due to the company’s stalling tactics and refusal to make meaningful progress at the table. Despite these delays, workers remain united and committed to securing a fair first contract that recognizes their hard work and ensures stability for their families and communities.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields. IUE-CWA is the Industrial Division of the CWA.

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Communications Workers of America
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