AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT KOHLER COMPANY (UPDATED)

NOVEMBER 15, 2019 — 90 LAYOFFS IN ENGINES DIVISION

The company has announced the layoffs of 90 employees in their engines division, including: 46 assembly set up operators, 25 engine machine set-up operators, 11 service parts material handlers, 5 engine material handlers, 2 engine inspectors and 1 engine support position.

The decision was driven by economic conditions, primarily a slowdown in the overall economy.

This permanent relocation of the assembly line of the Engines division manufacturing facility originally announced in September 2018 is scheduled to commence on January 12, 2020.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 — 84 LAYOFFS IN SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN

The company has announced 84 employees, mostly in non-manufacturing positions, will be laid off in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

According to a company spokesperson, “Kohler regularly reviews its operations to ensure that the company is positioned for long-term success. We are providing full support to all associates impacted by this difficult news.”

In March, the company’s small engines division was moved from Wisconsin to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with 325 layoffs and the closure of its small engines plant.

Original Post…

Kohler, Wisconsin-based Kohler Company, best known for their iconic plumbing fixtures and other products, has announced operational changes in its Brownwood, Texas facility which will result in the layoff of 223 employees starting in June, 2019.

The decision was based on the obsolescence of its older conveyor cast process, along with two smaller casting processes, within its vitreous (porcelain ceramic) operations. The company will shift a portion of its production to othe Kohler facilities that have additional capacity and use more advanced and efficient methods in their pottery operations.

According to a company spokesperson, "The Brownwood site’s plastics operations, as well as one-piece casting and tank production in vitreous operations, are not impacted and will continue to operate as normal."

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT LOWE'S (updated)

UPDATE: AUGUST 2, 2019 — MASS LAYOFF COSTS THOUSANDS OF LOWE’S EMPLOYEES THEIR JOB.

The company has announced that it will layoff its maintenance staff and assemblers as it outsources those functions. According to a company spokesperson, “We are moving to third-party assemblers and facility services to allow Lowe’s store associates to spend more time on the sales floor serving customers.”

The move comes as Marvin Ellison, the recently hired CEO (previously from Home Depot & J.C. Penney) continues the aggressive cost cutting that saw the company’s executive ranks thinned, 47 unprofitable stores closed, and the shuttering of OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware).

More on the OSH closure can be found here.

Original Post…

Mooresville, North Carolina–based Lowe's Companies, Inc., the home improvement retailer, has announced a restructuring and consolidation effort that will result in a major impact on employees.

600 positions in the company’s original corporate headquarters located in Wilkesboro, North Carolina will be asked to relocated 45 miles to the company’s corporate offices in Wilkesboro. It is expected that those employees who decline the move will be terminated.

Approximately 80 IT workers will be relocated to the company’s data center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

207 full time workers in the company’s cross-dock terminal located in Charlotte, North Carolina will be laid off. The Charlotte terminal will remain open as a distribution hubs – but the jobs will be outsourced to a third-party vendor. The company has similarly transferred other cross-dock terminal operations in Houston, Texas, and Charleston, South Carolina to third-party vendors. Cross-dock terminals allow for the temporary storage and shipment of large items that consumer’s normally do not take with them after purchase.

According to a company spokesperson, “This will bring teams that perform similar functions together, supporting greater collaboration and business performance. Wilkesboro continues to be a contact center and central production office, which employ more than 1,300 associates.” Another spokesperson added, the move is designed to improve “the collaboration and effectiveness of our corporate functions by having these teams work side by side. 

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT FUELCELL ENERGY

Danbury, Connecticut-based  FuelCell Energy, maker of fuel cell energy conversion devices, has laid of 135 workers in its Danbury, Connecticut headquarters and main manufacturing facility in Torrington, Connecticut. A company spokesperson noted, “We don’t undertake these actions lightly, and we remain focused on executing in the near-term on the (80-plus) megawatts in backlog of projects we have already won. These actions should not impact our commercial ability to deliver on these projects.”

The financially-embattled company is struggling to rework their current debt load and seeking immediate investment opportunities. Any additional reduction in force might jeopardize loans based on job credits from the State of Connecticut. According to financial reports, the company has gone 22 years without generating a profit and the losses continue to mount. The company continues to face competition from other companies and energy conversion technologies, notably those based on solar and wind-driven turbines.

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?