Walker Lays Off 30 Workers
Company Cites Slowing Demand For Auto Parts Line
Posted: February 14, 2013
HARRISONBURG — One of Harrisonburg’s largest employers, Walker Manufacturing Co., has laid off 30 workers, almost 5 percent of the plant’s workforce.
The layoffs, which took place Friday, affected multiple departments, and no one division was targeted, said Mike Alzamora, Tenneco Inc.’s global communications manager from the company’s headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill. Walker Manufacturing is a subsidiary of Tenneco.
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a decline in our product demand for the products we make [at the Harrisonburg plant],” Alzamora said.
The plant, which now has a workforce of 622, manufactures mufflers, catalytic converters and other vehicle parts that Tenneco sells to retail outlets, including AutoZone, NAPA Auto Parts and Advance Auto Parts, Alzamora said.
Tenneco’s customers have decreased their orders, so the company is adjusting its production to meet the demand, he explained.
“Our hope is that it’s not permanent,” he said, adding that all 30 employees are on a recall list.
If and when production returns to the level it was a couple of months ago, Alzamora said, employees would be called back in reverse order, meaning the last worker let go would be the first called back.
Contact Alex Rohr at 574-6293 or arohr@dnronline.com
The layoffs, which took place Friday, affected multiple departments, and no one division was targeted, said Mike Alzamora, Tenneco Inc.’s global communications manager from the company’s headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill. Walker Manufacturing is a subsidiary of Tenneco.
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a decline in our product demand for the products we make [at the Harrisonburg plant],” Alzamora said.
The plant, which now has a workforce of 622, manufactures mufflers, catalytic converters and other vehicle parts that Tenneco sells to retail outlets, including AutoZone, NAPA Auto Parts and Advance Auto Parts, Alzamora said.
Tenneco’s customers have decreased their orders, so the company is adjusting its production to meet the demand, he explained.
“Our hope is that it’s not permanent,” he said, adding that all 30 employees are on a recall list.
If and when production returns to the level it was a couple of months ago, Alzamora said, employees would be called back in reverse order, meaning the last worker let go would be the first called back.
Contact Alex Rohr at 574-6293 or arohr@dnronline.com