Autoliv closing Columbia City plant, 380 workers to lose their jobs
In a statement released by Autoliv North America on Friday, the company plans to close the doors on its Columbia City plant – resulting in a loss of more than 380 jobs the companys says.
The company, which manufactures airbag products for the automotive industry, opened in Columbia City in 1998. The local plant originally made steering wheels.
"We regret both the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people," said Mike Ward, President of Autoliv North America in a statement Friday. "However, the sharp decline in North American vehicle production coupled with industry expectations for a lengthy market recovery has necessitated that we take this strategic approach in order to remain competitive. By consolidating our operations, we can better utilize existing floor space and better match production capacity to customer demand."
Beginning in November, the airbag manufacturing process will be moved to Autoliv’s plant in Utah. They plan to complete the process by the fourth quarter of 2009.