MFG to Cut Jobs

Molded Fiber Glass is a name that many of you may not know about, unless you work in the manufacturing sector. For those of you who are not too familiar with the company here is a look at how the company has chosen to describe itself, “From modest beginnings in 1948 in Ashtabula, Ohio, MFG has grown to an international presence in the field of composites manufacturing. Today the company is a thriving enterprise that includes 16 entities throughout the United States and Mexico. MFG is involved in a gamut of exciting and growing industries, contributing to products that make life more affordable, safer, and healthier for human beings and the environment. True to the original vision of advancing both the art and science of composite plastic manufacturing, MFG has established itself as both an innovator of proprietary products and a respected partner to leading manufacturers around the world. The depth and breadth of the company as a specialist in FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) provides an unmatched asset to the world of manufacturing – a resource that customers large and small can turn to for composite materials expertise, dependable delivered goods and business integrity.”

The company is getting ready to cut back on about 370  jobs in order to set its profitability to the numbers where they want it to be and reduce its overall expenses, that will be enough to qualify as a mass layoff action under the current federal guidelines. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the federal government defines the term, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.”

Interestingly the only press release that the company has put out this year was not about their impending loss of jobs, but was instead about  a conference that they were getting ready to attend. Here is an excerpt from that release, “At the American Wind Energy Association’s Conference & Exhibition in Atlanta, the Molded Fiber Glass Companies (MFG) is introducing MFG Wind, a new brand that represents the comprehensive wind-focused set of capabilities that the company brings to the market.  Since its earliest days, MFG has been a pioneer of composite product advances and a top wind energy supplier of blades, nacelles and spinners. As the wind industry has matured and the fleet of installed turbines is aging, operators are demanding new, sophisticated aftermarket services. According to industry reports, aftermarket services are now the fastest growing segment and should remain strong in the foreseeable future.”
For now all the workers will be able to wait and see if more cuts happen.