Briggs & Stratton Corp. today announced a plan to close its manufacturing plants in Jefferson and Watertown, eliminating 430 jobs by fiscal 2010.
The work at the production facilities in Jefferson and Watertown will be consolidated into existing the company's other U.S. engine and lawn and garden product facilities to optimize plant utilization and achieve better integration between engine and end-product design, manufacturing and distribution, the company said.
The company's portable generator production will be moved to its plant in Auburn, Ala. Pressure washer manufacturing will be shifted to the company's McDonough, Ga. The home standby generator production, along with engineering research and development, will be moved to the company's plant in Wauwatosa.
In conjunction with the closing of the Jefferson and Watertown facilities, the company will incur a pre-tax $5.8 million charge in the fourth quarter, including $4.6 million of net asset impairments and approximately $1.2 million of employee-related charges for severance and pension costs.
The company estimates approximately $11.0 million of pre-tax savings from the consolidation of operations by fiscal 2011.
"The market volatility for our weather-dependent products, along with the current economy, constantly challenges us to find new ways to remain competitive," said Harold Redman, president of the Briggs Home Power Products Group. "Currently we have available capacity in other Briggs & Stratton locations and can optimize our efficiency by moving Home Power Products manufacturing to these other locations within the United States."
Briggs to close plants in Jefferson County
Operand type clash: text is incompatible with int
advertisement
Sorry, the story you tried to comment on is not accepting comments.