Added layoffs in Ashley, Columbus, Kokomo brings Indiana’s total for August to 1,365

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Ten Indiana businesses have announced more than 1,300 layoffs so far in August, according to notices sent to the state’s Department of Workforce Development.

The state posted four of those notices on Friday, bring the August total of layoffs to 1,365.

Here are the companies had their layoff notices posted by the state earlier in August:

• Tyson Foods poultry processing facility in Corydon, 368 workers.
• Aurorium, a maker of chemical products and specialty materials in Indianapolis: 159 workers.
• Alan Ritchey Inc., logistics warehouse in Plainfield: 242 workers.
• BWI Group, a specialized automotive repair plant in Greenfield: nine workers in anticipation of a future plant closure.
• Arrowhead Engineered Products warehouse in Jasper: 52 workers.
• Owens Corning Thermafiber, which makes insulation, in Wabash: 87 workers.

Friday’s added notices, listing 448 layoffs, included businesses in Ashley, Columbus and Kokomo.

Ashley: TRIN Inc.

A maker of switches for steering wheels, power seats and door locks in March will close its facility at 803 H.L. Thompson Jr. Drive in the northern Indiana town of Ashley. That’s off I-69 in DeKalb County, about a 40-minute drive north of Fort Wayne.

The layoff of 155 employees is expected to start Nov. 1.

The notice to the state said, “None of the employees are represented by a union. There are no bumping rights available. However, employees will be given an opportunity to transfer to a related entity in Michigan.”

Trin Inc. is a Japanese-owned auto parts supplier of Tokai-Rika Co. LTD. The Ashley facility opened in 1997.

Columbus: WestRock Co.

The maker of paperboard containers will lay off 101 employees as the company closes its facility at 3101 State St. in Columbus. That’s about a hour-drive south of downtown Indianapolis.

WestRock’s layoffs are expected to happen Oct. 15.

The notice to the state said, “Some of the affected employees are represented by United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy and Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union AFL-CIO-CLC (USW) Local #706.”

“Any bumping rights available to bargaining unit members will be governed by the applicable collective
bargaining agreement provisions. There are no bumping rights for non-bargaining unit employees.”

Weyerhaeuser Inc. opened the Columbus plant in 1968.

Kokomo: BorgWarner PDS Inc., BorgWarner Propulsion II LLC, Trialon Corp.

The Borg Warner businesses at the Morgan Street facility in Kokomo will lay off 82 employees, and Trialon will lay off 110 employees beginning Oct. 22.

Earlier this week, BorgWarner announced its closing the Morgan Street facility.

The Morgan Street facility is at 1501 County Road East 200 North in Kokomo. It’s about 75-minute drive north of downtown Indianapolis.

According to online profiles, BorgWarner PDS designs and makes transfer cases and torque management systems for cars, crossover vehicles, SUVs and light trucks. BorgWarner Propulsion makes hardware and software for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. Trialon Corp. offers laboratory testing for vehicle components.

Most of the BorgWarner jobs being eliminated are for manufacturing operators.

Most of the Trialon jobs being eliminated are for assemblers.

All of the companies’ notices to the state said, “There will not be any bumping rights for the affected employees, that is, employees will not be able to displace more junior employees out of their job positions as a result of this mass layoff. There is no union representing impacted employees.”

Layoffs were expected to be done by mid-2024.

BorgWarner took over the Morgan Street facility in 2020 when acquiring Delphi Technologies in a $3.3 billion deal.

Kokomo’s history with Delphi dates back to 1935 when it began making radios for Chevrolet vehicles.