Trane May Move Jobs From Fort Smith To South Carolina
by January 27, 2012 5:34 pm 142 views
An estimated 59 jobs may leave Fort Smith later this year as Trane moves some production from its Fort Smith plant to an operation in Columbia, S.C.
Trane’s Fort Smith plant, which produces residential air-conditioning systems, now employs 253 hourly and 27 salaried employees, according to Trane spokeswoman Maria Weber.
Weber said “transfer coil production” will move from Fort Smith to Columbia during the third quarter of this year.
“Our Columbia facility is the company’s coil production ‘center of excellence’ and it has a specific focus on quality production of coils for the entire business,” Weber noted. “This transfer will result in the reduction of 59 hourly production jobs by the 3rd quarter of this year… The actual number of employees affected could change depending on fluctuations in production levels, attrition and other factors.”
The production shift will further reduce employment at a plant that once employed around 500 in Fort Smith. During 2010, the company cut more than 200 jobs.
The Trane news is yet another unwelcome blow to a regional economy that will face the loss of 1,000 Whirlpool jobs by mid-year.
Michael Tilley with our content partner, The City Wire, is the author of this report. He can be reached by email at [email protected].