Grede LLC on April 1 filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the Alabama Department of Commerce indicating its intent to reassign work from the Brewton, AL, foundry to other locations in the coming months, and will close the plant later this year. The state record shows that 160 workers at Brewton will be affected by the closure.
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100 or more employees to give a 60-calendar day written notice of plans to close or implement a large-scale reduction in their workforce.
Local reports detail that Michigan-based foundry group informed the plant employees of the decision earlier this year.
“Grede’s primary served markets have not rebounded to pre-COVID volumes resulting in an availability of capacity across some of Grede’s U.S. foundries,” according to a company statement. “We are transferring work across our network of facilities to maximize utilization of assets and reduce inefficiencies.”
Grede produces ductile, gray, and specialty iron castings for automotive, commercial vehicle, and industrial markets. It currently operates Grede operates eight other foundries in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In addition, it has three specialty machining operations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In 2020, Grede shuttered a foundry in Columbiana, AL, affecting 94 employees.