SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 — KME TO CLOSE, OPERATIONS TRANSFERRED TO OTHER REV GROUP FACILITIES.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based REV Group, a designer and manufacturer of specialty vehicles, including buses, fire trucks, ambulances, and recreational vehicles, has announced the closure of its Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp KME) subsidiary headquartered in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. A second facility in Roanoke, Virginia is also closing.
Approximately 300 employees will be impacted by the closure planned for April 2022, when the company will complete its production schedule.
According to a company statement…
“This shift in production locations enables us to better access our broad operational expertise and resources, provide custom engineering, enhance quality and improve delivery times by leveraging the advanced manufacturing capabilities that we have through the REV Fire Group network. New and current KME customers can be assured that our commitment to manufacturing excellence will continue to bring quality and value to KME fire apparatus.”
“The transition of production has a significant impact on KME employees and is not a decision we take lightly. We are grateful to our teams at both locations, who have worked with us over the years to build the KME brand. We also thank the local communities for their ongoing support, and we would like to thank our dealer partners for their outstanding efforts in servicing our mutual customers over the many years and thank them in advance for their efforts in supporting this transition.”
OCTOBER 8, 2019 — Original post
Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania-based KME, a designer and manufacturer of fire fighting apparatus, has announced the immediate layoff of 100 employees involved in the manufacture of fire equipment and support services. According to a company spokesperson, "We will continue to make the necessary business decisions to ensure the future success of our employees and company, as well as our continued commitment to the entire area." The company is a division of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Rev Group, a manufacturer of specialty vehicles including buses, fire trucks, ambulances, and recreational vehicles, which has experienced a slight loss and is undertaking some restructuring to deal with a softening marketplace and to manage their production capacity across their extensive line-up of vehicle brands.
According to Rev Group’s President and CEO Tim Sullivan in discussing the REV Group’s third-quarter results, “So what happened in the past three months that caused us to fall short of our goals in the third quarter and reduce our full-year earnings guidance by approximately 30%. A large portion of the change can be defined in one word, labor. Strategic decisions we made pertaining to labor during this fiscal year cannot be blamed entirely on our current situation with the tariffs, but they were a significant contributor.”
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
