effective immediately
Sumitomo just closed their Buffalo factory
- Thread starter slacktide_bitog
- Start date
I drive past that plant every time I go to/from work. Unreal that there was zero notification to the employees. They were on a shut-down when they decided to fence off the front doors. What a nice corporate move.
It will likely be another superfund site since it's been there so long and is basically right on the Niagara river.
It will likely be another superfund site since it's been there so long and is basically right on the Niagara river.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Wow, that's a hell of a way to start the holiday's. Classy Sumitomo....classy.
A profit-driven business decision? Nooooooo!
So very sad for all those workers. 
Inflation, foreign competition, bad business decisions, high labor costs, non-profitability... pick one, pick them all.
Sorry wrong forum...
I grew up in Tonawanda, have several family members who retired from Dunlop tire plant (now Sumitomo).
I have a few friends from back home, union guys who were planning on doing the same thing.
Guess not.
When my uncle worked there they were known for high quality motorcycle tires.
No doubt that will become a superfund site. It's a dumpy area near the GM Tonawanda Plant.
I have a few friends from back home, union guys who were planning on doing the same thing.
Guess not.
When my uncle worked there they were known for high quality motorcycle tires.
No doubt that will become a superfund site. It's a dumpy area near the GM Tonawanda Plant.
Union achieved it's mission, blead em dry.
As a long term employee in my company, stuff like this is scary. I feel for the families as like them, I'm 55. No clue what I would go and do for work and if the company pension would still be intact as a lump sum at least (or the 401k).
Unfortunately they could not complete with tires made in Asia and closed the factory.
Almost 1600 out of work.
Goodyear has closed a few tire factories here in the USA cause they simply couldn’t compete with tires made overseas. Union or no union companies need to close unprofitable factories.
Almost 1600 out of work.
Goodyear has closed a few tire factories here in the USA cause they simply couldn’t compete with tires made overseas. Union or no union companies need to close unprofitable factories.
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Along the same line but not automotive, Pepsi closed 2 plants recently with no notice to employees whatsoever.
The article states the company was taking government handouts and tax abatements in return for keep jobs in the area. No problem with business decisions but to close suddenly with no warnings is just a cash grab. Hopefully they can get the money back.
And Nokian is doubling production this year in Tennessee.
Plenty of tire factories have opened in the US recently. Nokian and Hankook in TN, Kumho in GA, Giti in SC. And there are others I can't think of right now. Some of those weird off-brands are even made in the US, too.
Goodyear has had some problems, and a lot of people on here complain about their tires too.
In fact, Goodyear used to own the closed Sumitomo factory. The two companies supplied tires to each other as well. That relationship ended a few years ago, with Goodyear handing the factory to Sumitomo.
They’ll be sorry they won’t get their reduction in corporate tax for making stuff in the USA.
No idea about this site but I have done engineering work inside a tire manufacturing plant, including in places regular employees never have access to. The very beginning of the tire production process where the raw rubber goes through the gigantic rollers to get flattened out, is one of the nastiest places I've ever set foot. And it smells like a skunk but worse.
Too many factors -- all depends on the specifics of their operation and volume. Just because it makes sense for the smaller brands you mentioned, doesn't mean it'll be viable for someone with higher volume.
I've spoken of it before, my wife works at a firm that specializes in consulting troubled companies among others things. My wife has been involved in a few plant closures which I can't name. The modern thing is to close a facility abruptly without notice and get around the WARN act by paying the employees the 60 days instead of working them. If a plant announces they are closing and keeps producing a product, workers often sabotage the product and create a huge liability.
Does anyone here want to buy a set of tires made by workers knowing they are losing their job? Pepsi has a very good reason not to keep a bottling or syrup plant open when workers know of a looming closer.
Does anyone here want to buy a set of tires made by workers knowing they are losing their job? Pepsi has a very good reason not to keep a bottling or syrup plant open when workers know of a looming closer.
