Mass Layoffs Continue Across Freight-Related Companies In The US

Authored by Noi Mahoney via FreightWaves.com,

Another wave of closures and layoffs has hit workers and companies tied to commercial transportation, manufacturing, lumber production, distribution and logistics across the U.S.

Over the past several weeks, there have been 4,137 job cuts announced, according to media reports and Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices.

The companies facing layoffs include: Republic National Distributing Co. (1,756), Canfor Corp. (290), Bluestem Brands (160), DeRoyal Industries (153), Weaber Lumber (145), Howard Miller Co. (133), Ohio Eagle Distributing (124), Pocino Foods Co. (124), Western Forest Products (112), Americold Logistics (110), Lightspeed Logistics Miami LLC (110), Cartparts.com (104), MacMillan-Piper (92), GSC Enterprises Inc. (80), SalonCentric (79), Auto Warehousing Co. (75), BRP Marine US Inc. (72), Marshall Excelsior Co. (71), Backyard PlayNation (66), Spectrum Plastic Group (34) and CHS Inc. (25).

Beverage distributor Republic National exits California

Republic National Distributing Co., a wholesale beverage alcohol distributor, plans to close its operations across California by the end of September and slash 1,756 jobs statewide, according to WARN notices and media reports.

Grand Prairie, Texas-based Republic National Distributing Co. is one of the country’s largest wine and spirits wholesalers.

CEO Bob Hendrickson cited increasing operational costs and “industry headwinds” as some of the reasons for the layoffs.

“This decision was driven by rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes that made the market unsustainable”, Hendrickson said in a news release published in Wine Industry Advisor.

Distribution and logistics firms hit hard by layoffs

Ohio Eagle Distributing LLC, a beer distribution company, is in the process of selling all of its assets, including facilities in Lima and West Chester, Ohio, according to state filings.

The sale of the business will result in 124 jobs being cut at the two facilities, including 39 truck drivers. The sale is expected to be finalized by Sept. 8.

Cold storage provider Americold Logistics is laying off 110 employees from a facility in Atlanta, citing low volumes. The layoffs are scheduled to begin Sept. 5.

Lightspeed Logistics Miami LLC will eliminate 110 delivery driver positions and close its same-day delivery service in Hialeah, Florida, by Aug. 17, according to a WARN filing. The company did not provide a reason for the closure or layoffs.

Auto parts distributor CarParts.com is closing its location in Chesapeake, Virginia, and laying off 104 workers, according to state filings. The company did not provide a reason for the facility’s closure and job reductions, which will be by mid-August.

Supply chain solutions provider MacMillan-Piper is laying off 92 employees in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, according to a WARN notice with the state.

The company said the layoffs were a result of a “sudden and unforeseeable business circumstances resulting from the loss of operational funding,” according to the WARN notice.

MacMillan-Piper is a transloading company that operates six facilities near the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

GSC Enterprises Inc., a grocery supply chain provider, is laying off 80 workers in Oakland, California, along with Seattle and Tacoma. The layoffs include managerial roles in general, planning and client areas.

GSC Enterprises, which is the parent company of MacMillan-Piper, said the layoffs were the result of “sudden and unforeseeable business circumstances,” in a WARN filing.

CHS Inc. is closing a grain shipping terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, by the end of August and eliminating 25 jobs, according to state filings.

The facility is “the largest grain terminal in the Duluth-Superior port,” according to mprnews. CHS did not give a reason for the closure.

Lumber production companies hit hard by closures, job cuts

Vancouver, Canada-based Canfor Corp. is closing sawmills in Darlington and Estill, South Carolina, laying off 290 workers.

The Darlington plant employs 120 people, and the Estill plant employs 170 people. Layoffs will start Aug. 25.

Canfor said the mill closures were due to “persistently weak market conditions and sustained financial losses,” in a statement posted on Facebook.

Weaber Lumber is laying off 145 workers at its distribution center in Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, by Sept. 9. The company is a hardwood lumber manufacturer.

“As with so many other manufacturers, we have been struggling with challenges in the housing market and with the impacts of inflation,” a Weaber spokesperson told BizNewsPA. “Home sales are down while mortgage rates remain high. Continued uncertainty in the overall economy has prompted consumers to delay building or purchasing a new home or renovating an existing home.”

Western Forest Products, another Vancouver, Canada-based lumber firm, laid off 112 employees from a lumber mill in Vancouver, Washington, according to a WARN notice.

The company’s Columbia Vista sawmill was left inoperable by a fire on June 29, the company said.

Food producers shuttering facilities, laying off 202

Pocino Foods Co. is closing a plant in City of Industry, California, and laying off 124 workers, according to a WARN filing.

The facility’s closure and layoffs will be finalized by Aug. 26. The company said they are closing the plant based on “a recent evaluation of business operations.”

Pocino Foods, headquartered in City of Industry, is a manufacturer of handcrafted specialty pre-cooked meats.

The T. Marzetti Co. is laying off 78 employees due to the closure of its Milpitas, California, production facility. The closure and layoffs were finalized on Monday.

The Ohio-based company did not provide a reason for closure of the facility. The T. Marzetti Co. makes and distributes salad dressings, fruit and vegetable dips, frozen baked goods and specialty brand items.