Industrial Manufacturer Closure Causes 79 Layoffs, Work Shifted from NC to Mexico

Columbus McKinnon’s corporate is planning to close a plant on Pioneer Avenue, lay off 79 workers and move operations to Mexico.Photo byTown Talks

Columbus McKinnon Corp., an industrial manufacturer that recently moved its headquarters to Charlotte, is closing its Duff-Norton manufacturing facility at 9415 Pioneer Ave. in southwest Charlotte.

This closure will result in the layoff of 73 employees on September 29, 2023. Most of these workers are represented by a union.

An additional six employees are expected to lose their jobs on March 31, 2025.

The closure is attributed to ongoing and continued poor plant performance, as stated by Aimee Stommel, the company's senior director of human resources in the Americas, in a WARN letter to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

WARN Notic Details:

• Company: Columbus McKinnon Corp.
• Location: Duff-Norton manufacturing facility, 9415 Pioneer Ave., Charlotte, NC
• Layoff Date: September 29, 2023
• Number of Employees Affected: 73 initially, plus 6 more by March 31, 2025
• Reason: Poor plant performance
• Union Representation: Most of the affected workers

The company notified the N.C. Department of Commerce through a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) about the closure and layoffs.

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