ESAB Welding & Cutting to close Ashtabula (OH) plant, relocate to South Carolina

[OhioChick]

Source: Newsnet5

Posted: 12:12 PM

SHTABULA, Ohio - A manufacturing company announced plans on Wednesday to shut down a plan in Northeast Ohio, in favor of opening a new facility in South Carolina.

ESAB Welding & Cutting, which manufactures welding products, will begin phasing out its production plant in Ashtabula, resulting in the loss of 120 jobs at that facility. Employees have not yet talked with the union to determine exit plans, benefits or transfers, according to a company spokesman.

"This decision was not made hastily nor taken lightly," said Andrew Masterman, President and Chief Executive Officer, ESAB North America. "The Ashtabula workforce has proven to be a tremendous asset to ESAB and the decision to relocate manufacturing is not a criticism of that workforce.”

The facility in Ashtabula will continue operating until the new plant is up and running in South Carolina. All employees will be given 60 days notice before they are terminated, according to a release from the company.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/money/business_news/esab-welding-and-cutting-to-close-ashtabula-plant-relocate-to-south-carolina

[AnOhioan]

1. Guess they did not contribute enough to Kasich

[dsc]

2. my home county is do depressed

one in a sadly very long line of companies that have fled.

[alfredo]

3. Is SC a "right to work" cheaply state?

[OhioChick]

4. Yes, from what I've been told n/t

[alfredo]

5. When they exhaust the SC workers, they will move to China.

[OhioChick]

6. That's more than likely the plan n/t

[jmowreader]

7. ESAB North America is headquartered in South Carolina.

Companies like this like to put production facilities close to their customers. Since the customer base in the Rust Belt is going away, they don't need this factory anymore.

The question isn't "why is this one company leaving?" so much as it's "why are all the people who use what they make leaving?" And the reason is simple: when you can hire a Chinese guy to weld for $3 per day if he works in China, there's no reason to hire an American who will charge you $3 to weld for six minutes.

[sarcasmo]

8. Ohio doesn't need factories leaving to other states, this is bad news.