Hitachi Cable America Inc. is reorganizing its Automotive Products Division, a move that involves the permanent closure of its Pensacola, Fla., plant by March.
Manufacturing operations at the Pensacola site, which produces components and cables for ABS braking and hybrid vehicles, will be transferred to the company's Querétaro, Mexico, location.
"We are taking steps to reduce our costs of manufacturing; the realignment of this production will allow us to better serve our customers and remain competitive in the marketplace," Hitachi said in a WARN notice letter dated Aug. 30 and filed with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
HCA began its reduction in force in Florida on Aug. 31, noting in the WARN notice that all employees at the location will permanently lose their jobs. Those employees, the company said, had been informed of the plant's closure and their departure dates, which are based on "seniority, lines being moved and experience on lines remaining [until] closure."
In all, more than 200 non-union employees will be laid off, including 109 working on the assembly floor.
In addition to the Pensacola site, Hitachi Cable's Automotive Products Division operates two other North American locations: in Querétaro and New Albany, Ind. — the division's headquarters site.
Purchase, N.Y.-headquartered Hitachi Cable America is an indirect and wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Metals Ltd., a global manufacturer of high-grade metal products serving end markets including electronics, automotive and aerospace industries. Automotive products include power cable harnesses for electric/hybrid vehicles, brake hose products and electric sensor harnesses.
Its products include items made using rubber and engineered plastics.
HCA operates three divisions — Performance Cable Systems and Materials, High Performance Medical Solutions and Automotive.