Nearly 300 production workers at a major Skaneateles Falls employer will be facing job cuts over the next year.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Less than a year after purchasing Hand Held Products, Honeywell announced Thursday that it will be shutting down manufacturing operations at its Skaneateles Falls plant, above, with 290 jobs transferred to Honeywell's operations in China.
Less than a year after purchasing Hand Held Products, Honeywell announced Thursday that it will be shutting down manufacturing operations at its Skaneateles Falls plant, above, with 290 jobs transferred to Honeywell's operations in China.
Honeywell International Security Group will be moving its manufacturing operations to Suzhou, China, said Kevin Jost, vice president of security strategy for Honeywell. He is the former chief executive officer of Hand Held Products, the locally based company that Honeywell bought last fall.
Jost said he announced the job cuts Thursday, shortly after the decision was made. Honeywell will offer these employees a chance to post for positions in other jobs.
The company employs about 660 local workers
The impact on the rest of the plant's employees - technical and marketing people - will be minimal.
“We intend to remain a major presence in upstate New York,” Jost said. “The business is growing nicely.
“This is really about the globalization of the world. It goes back to nothing related to the current economy. It has to do with what our competitive position is.”
Jost explained that the parts involved in the supply chain base for Honeywell's products are already located in the Asian region.
“It has to do with the whole macro competitive environment,” Jost said. “If we don't respond, we'll find ourselves behind.”
Honeywell's major competitors in the field are Motorola and Intermec, he said.
Honeywell recently acquired the production facility in Suzhou, which manufactures similar products.
The announcement drew a response from U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who said she would attempt to meet with Honeywell's CEO.
“It is unclear if the State of New York or the people of Skaneateles Falls were given a chance to make their case, but it is very clear that the workers whose jobs are on the line deserve to be heard,” she said in a press release issued Thursday. “Tomorrow I will send a letter to the CEO of Honeywell requesting a meeting to discuss how and why this decision was made, what can be done to secure an alternative to this drastic decision, and Honeywell's long-term plan for the 250 jobs that remain at the Skaneateles facility.”
Jost said that the company would try to help those employees affected to find new employment.
The Hand Held image-based technology is used for data collection and transportation logistics in a number of industries, with about $285 million in sales in 2006. Honeywell bought the company in October of 2007 in a $390 million acquisition.
Jost said he announced the job cuts Thursday, shortly after the decision was made. Honeywell will offer these employees a chance to post for positions in other jobs.
The company employs about 660 local workers
The impact on the rest of the plant's employees - technical and marketing people - will be minimal.
“We intend to remain a major presence in upstate New York,” Jost said. “The business is growing nicely.
“This is really about the globalization of the world. It goes back to nothing related to the current economy. It has to do with what our competitive position is.”
Jost explained that the parts involved in the supply chain base for Honeywell's products are already located in the Asian region.
“It has to do with the whole macro competitive environment,” Jost said. “If we don't respond, we'll find ourselves behind.”
Honeywell's major competitors in the field are Motorola and Intermec, he said.
Honeywell recently acquired the production facility in Suzhou, which manufactures similar products.
The announcement drew a response from U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who said she would attempt to meet with Honeywell's CEO.
“It is unclear if the State of New York or the people of Skaneateles Falls were given a chance to make their case, but it is very clear that the workers whose jobs are on the line deserve to be heard,” she said in a press release issued Thursday. “Tomorrow I will send a letter to the CEO of Honeywell requesting a meeting to discuss how and why this decision was made, what can be done to secure an alternative to this drastic decision, and Honeywell's long-term plan for the 250 jobs that remain at the Skaneateles facility.”
Jost said that the company would try to help those employees affected to find new employment.
The Hand Held image-based technology is used for data collection and transportation logistics in a number of industries, with about $285 million in sales in 2006. Honeywell bought the company in October of 2007 in a $390 million acquisition.
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 6 comment(s)
james_ wrote on Aug 9, 2008 10:11 AM:
This time, your right on the mark!!!
Laws and sever penalties need to be put in place. This is nothing more than white collar crimes, that go unpunsihed!
If the foreign parent company wants to pull out, fine let them, but they have to sell the companies back to a United States Citizen owner, who has to take over and run the company, at least for 5 years in the same location! And it selling has to placed up for bidding and overseen been Federal Regulators. "
james_13021 wrote on Aug 9, 2008 9:17 AM:
This time, your right on the mark!!!
Laws and sever penalties need to be put in place. This is nothing more than white collar crimes, that go unpunsihed!
If the foreign parent company wants to pull out, fine let them, but they have to sell the companies back to a United States Citizen owner, who has to take over and run the company, at least for 5 years in the same location! And it selling has to placed up for bidding and overseen been Federal Regulators. "
forrest wrote on Aug 9, 2008 8:07 AM:
blueyankee443 wrote on Aug 9, 2008 5:47 AM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 8, 2008 1:41 PM:
Every company which moves jobs overseas should be severely punished -- made to pay special penalties, taxed more and made to pay extra high tariffs on all their products as a strong disincentive to take jobs away from Americans. We should go back to high tariffs on everything produced abroad which we could be making right here and to heck with their "global economy" -- all that means is bringing all workers down to the Third World level while lining the pockets of the already rich owners of manufacture. "
lmc123 wrote on Aug 8, 2008 1:00 PM: