This California-based manufacturer marks opening of new HQ in north Lafayette

The California-based manufacturer that will soon be operating in north Lafayette is the next step in the region and the state for a diversified economy, one state official said.

Local and state officials joined with leaders and employees of Westfield Fluid Controls Monday to celebrate the company’s new 30,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at the Lafayette Economic Development Authority industrial park in north Lafayette.

It’s the latest step in a $5.1 million investment announced nearly two years ago. Westfield will soon bring its equipment online and add to an employee base that will eventually reach 67 along with dozens of indirect jobs as a result.

“Today’s opening is part of a much larger and very exciting economics story that continues to unfold in our great state,” said Brad Lambert, deputy secretary with Louisiana Economic Development. “It’s a story about job creation and new capital investment, but it’s also a story about diversification, and we’ve talked about how important it is to diversity Louisiana’s economy.”

Westfield Fluid Controls was spun out of Westfield Hydraulics, which creates precision hydraulic and fluid control components for aerospace and defense applications in its facility just north of Los Angeles. It specializes in the design, manufacture, assembly, and testing of powered and non-powered valves, solenoids, and fluid controls for aerospace and defense applications.

The added jobs, which will pay on average nearly $50,000 a year, bring more to the manufacturing sector in Lafayette. The area has gained jobs in the health care sector in recent years as oil and gas jobs have dwindled.

In 2012, 10 energy companies accounted for the top 20 employers in Lafayette Parish, LEDA data shows. Earlier this year there only two were in the top 20.

“Lafayette has a long history of expertise and innovation in manufacturing,” LEDA President and CEO Mandi Mitchell said. “We hear often about workforce opportunities – some say labor shortage, I saw tight labor market. There will be job opportunities right here, good-paying job opportunities. Today is a great day for the future of manufacturing in the region.”