JACKSON, MI -- Sparton has passed on buying Celestica's PCB assembly plant in Iowa, saying that anticipated DoD work earmarked for the site has failed to materialize. The EMS provider said last spring it would try to buy the 70,000-sq. ft. Mount Pleasant plant and save the 340 jobs.


"From the outset, Sparton's interest in opening operations at the Mount Pleasant, Iowa, facility was dependent on securing United States Department of Defense contracts," Sparton said Tuesday.

Sparton said it was halting the effort "due to insufficient time to retain the existing workforce, and to secure commitments for a sufficient level of new business to assure ongoing success."

No further negotiations between Sparton and Mount Pleasant or Iowa economic development leaders have been scheduled, the company said.