GreatStar announced Monday it will take ownership of Shop Vac assets, re-open the Williamsport plant and rehire employees who lost their jobs when the factory let go most of its 430-plus work force in mid-September after a failed sale of the company by its private owners, the Miller family now living on the West Coast.
GreatStar is part of Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial Co. Ltd., a hand tool manufacturer in Asia, specializing in designing and manufacturing products for DIY, professional and industrial markets globally.
Gary DuBoff, group president of GreatStar Tools USA, said Shop Vac represents an important addition to the company’s global product portfolio........“We are thrilled to add another iconic American brand to GreatStar’s portfolio of brands — alongside Arrow Fastener, Pony, Jorgensen, Goldblatt and Prime-Line Products “ particularly one that gives us the opportunity to bring manufacturing and jobs back to the U.S.,” he added.
“After the acquisition, GreatStar plans to reestablish and expand Shop Vac’s industry leadership built on best-in-class innovation, features, value and manufacturing ability, utilizing a mix of both Asian and US-based manufacturing. The company will retain manufacturing in itsWilliamsport, Pa., factory, and will also prioritize restoring Shop Vac’s distribution in the U.S, including big-box retailers, major home centers and hardware stores,” the firm said in a prepared release.
Approximately 437 employees worked at Shop Vac’s world headquarters plant in the Reach Road Industrial Park when the former owners released most of them, triggering protests outside the plant. The company once employed 1,700 people globally.
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