Ficosa North America Corp. is closing its Shelbyville, Ky. manufacturing plant, permanently laying off 143 employees.
“Closure of the ... plant was initially announced to the general public in January 2020 with an expected closure date of July 2020,” Charlotte Arnold, Ficosa North America’s human resources director, told Plastics News in an emailed statement. “However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this announced closure was placed on an extended time line.”
The automotive supplier expects layoffs to begin Dec. 30, a July 19 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report from the company to the Kentucky Division of Workforce and Employment Services said.
Layoffs will continue through sometime in February 2024, when the plant will close, the notice said.
“Ficosa North America has remained transparent with our Shelbyville employees,” Arnold said. “They have known that we would move forward with the plant closure once conditions for a smooth and safe post-pandemic transition had been met.”
No bumping rights exist for the employees because the entire plant is closing, the notice added.
“We recognize the effect this move will have on our Shelbyville employees and we are working with them to minimize the impact by providing transfers to our … Cookeville, Tenn., facility,” Arnold said. “We will also provide resources and support to those employees who remain in Shelbyville.”
The company will also repurpose equipment from the Shelbyville plant at the Cookeville location, she said.
"This move will create more shifts and increase production at the Cookeville plant," Arnold added. "While this decision was a difficult one, Ficosa plans to provide a sustainable model for future growth and will continue to manufacture ... automotive safety equipment like mirrors and vision systems at our Cookeville location."
Barcelona, Spain-based Ficosa Corp. has facilities in 16 counties in Europe, North America and South America.