AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT WIRTHWEIN NEW BERN CORP.

New Bern, North Carolina-based Wirthwein New Bern Corp, a subsidiary of a Germany-based plastics technology company offering plastics tooling, production, assembly, and logistics to various industries, has announced a reduction in force.

Depending on circumstances, the reduction will impact approximately 50 employees, commencing in May 2024. However, the company has filed a State WARN notice for all 120 employees.

According to a company spokesperson, Wirthwein New Bern makes plastic parts for dishwashers, Samsung products, and the automotive industry, among other things. The company has about 120 employees. The remaining 50 to 60 employees at Wirthwein New Bern will service German appliance maker BSH Home Appliances Corporation exclusively. BSH also has a plant in New Bern.

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY

Midland, Michigan-based Dow Chemical Company, the multinational manufacturer of plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products, is implementing a cost-cutting initiative that will reduce its global workforce by five percent.

Approximately 2,000 employees face layoffs.

Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling noted, "In the fourth quarter, Team Dow continued to proactively navigate slowing global growth, challenging energy markets, and destocking. In response, we shifted our focus to cash generation in the quarter as we lowered operating rates, implemented cost-savings measures, and prioritized higher-value products where demand remained resilient."

Dow is shutting down certain facilities and is reducing purchases of raw materials, seeking to cut logistics and utility costs.

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT PROPER GROUP

Warren, Michigan-based Proper Group, a supplier of engineering, tooling, and manufacturing for the plastics industry for the automotive, lighting, and industrial markets, has announced the closure of its Warren, Michigan, tool and manufacturing facility.

The shutdown will impact 130 employees, and the shutdown will be completed by March 31, 2023.

President Robert Hamood cited “financial difficulties that were not reasonably foreseeable” as the reason for the closure.

Hamood said the tooling company’s collapse was the result of last-minute changes to a deal between Florida-based private equity firm New Water Capital and Proper Group, which also has plants in Tennessee, South Carolina and Ontario. The firm initially agreed to buy more of the business than it ultimately ended up taking.

“They, at the end of the agreement, sort of reneged and wanted to purchase only one small part of the offer they had made, so that left us in a position to scramble to sell other pieces of the company and really a situation where we’re left with too much debt on the remaining company,” Hamood said.

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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?