Thread: Lighting company to send jobs over the border

Originally published April 21, 2018 at 9:20 am

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A prominent lighting company is transferring production from a Massachusetts manufacturing facility to Mexico.

Company Philips Lighting announced Friday it is laying off 160 employees and sending 100 production jobs to Monterrey, Mexico.

The Herald News reports production at the Fall River facility will end by the third quarter of this year. The office will remain open to sales and marketing employees.

A spokeswoman for the company says the decision is “difficult,” but is spurred by the need to optimize production in order to remain competitive.

The company is working with local government officials to provide aid for affected workers.

https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...er-the-border/

What a shame. SAD!!

A spokeswoman for the company says the decision is “difficult,” but is spurred by the need to optimize production in order to remain competitive.

Is "optimize production" the term their using to describe a reduction in labor costs? As we all know, it's all about cheap labor. I thought Trump's business tax breaks were supposed to end these business exits. Well, perhaps this is an exception. We'll see as time goes on.

That usually means consolidating. They must have a big plant in Mexico already so they're closing this one and transferring the production to an existing facility in Mexico which has the excess capacity. I don't know but that's usually what that term "optimize production" means. I'll search and see if I can find more information about it. Such a shame.

Philips Lighting to lay off 160 workers in Fall River as production moves to Mexico

Updated 11:21 AM; Posted 11:17 AM
By Dan Glaun

About 160 workers at Philips Lighting's Fall River facility will lose their jobs as the company transfers manufacturing operations to a plant in Monterrey, Mexico.

Philips acquired the plant in 2008 when it bought out the company that owned Lightolier, a lighting fixture firm started in 1904 and headquartered in Fall River.

The company plans to begin shifting production to its Monterrey facility later this year and stop manufacturing operations in Fall River in the first quarter of 2019, Philips spokeswoman Melissa Kanter wrote in an email.

160 jobs related to production and product development will be affected, Kanter wrote. The company will also move its research and development operations to Boisbriand, Canada; Kanter could not confirm how many jobs would move to that facility.

The layoffs are a difficult but necessary step to maintain Philips' competitiveness in the marketplace, Kanter wrote.

"The lighting industry is transforming at an accelerated rate. We first saw the shift from conventional lighting to LED and now we are seeing the shift towards systems and services where lighting is being used as an information pathway in cities, offices, retail and the home. This is against a backdrop of increased competition in the market," she wrote. "This decision, while difficult, is part of our plan to drive operational excellence enabling the company to optimize production and supply in order to remain competitive and provide our customers with the service and quality that they expect from us."

Employees not connected to manufacturing operations will continue to work at the site and the company is communicating with the local union and public officials to arrange retraining and placement programs, according to Kanter.

Karl Hetzler, president of the Fall River Industrial Park Association, expressed dismay at the job cuts in an interview with the Herald News.

"It's devastating to hear such an important employer in the industrial park is leaving," Hetzler told the Herald News. "It's a tremendous loss and a shock to me."

Kanter said she could not provide details on what severance is being offered to employees.

Philips is a major multi-national corporation with over 34,000 employees and manufacturing plants in 22 countries, according to its website.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...ay_off_16.html

Originally Posted by Judy

That usually means consolidating. They must have a big plant in Mexico already so they're closing this one and transferring the production to an existing facility in Mexico which has the excess capacity. I don't know but that's usually what that term "optimize production" means. I'll search and see if I can find more information about it. Such a shame.

I still think it's all about reducing labor costs. Honestly, I really don't expect any business or corporation to admit publicly that they are moving so they can profit off cheaper labor. Such a public confession just isn't a good publicity move.

Philips is a Dutch owned company, always has been, so good bye, good riddance, looking forward to our new level playing field on the NAFTA Re-Do as they want to back-haul their products into the US. They want to smack our workers in the face and hurt the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, well, just wait until we get to the EU Re-do, we'll do some smacking around ourselves.

I feel so sorry for these workers in Fall River. So unfair. As our economy is growing and so many people finding new jobs, higher wages and better situations, it's a shame they face a job loss, I'm sure many of them have worked there a long time. I feel kind of sorry for the division headquarters personnel, too, who will still be operating in Fall River, who probably won't be so popular now, because they'll be blamed for a decision that was made in Amsterdam.

Philips had declining sales for several years until last year and then had a huge boost, so with higher sales, lower income taxes, fewer regulations, and a NAFTA Re-Do or Withdrawal on the table and pull the plug on that back-haul gravy train, you pigs want to move more US jobs to Mexico, just tells me one thing: You're stupid and I won't buy products from stupid Dutch companies and I hope no other American will either.

BOYCOTT PHILIPS!!! BOYCOTT PHILIPS!!!!