MUFFLER PLANT TO CLOSE BY END OF WEEK
Monday, June 26th, 2006 -- 10:14 AM
Company officials have still not decided what they?ll do with the soon-to-be vacant Fleetguard-Nelson Muffler Plant ? but if they decide to sell, they?ll apparently have a buyer. Mark Land, Director of Public Relations for Cummins, Inc., parent company of Cummins Filtration, formerly Fleetguard-Nelson, says the workforce at the Neillsville West plant has been reduced from around 200 to under 50.
?About three-quarters of the production has been moved out,? Land said on Monday morning. ?We're working on getting the last piece out now ? it should be out in the next week or two.?
Over half of the plant?s employees have taken jobs elsewhere in the company; others have accepted severance packages, Land said.
Cummins announced in February they?d phase out the plant, one of the city?s largest employers, to move production closer to its customer base.
The phase out will be complete by the end of the week, but the company has not decided if they?ll hold on to the building or sell it.
?We're still looking at options and we?ve gotten some offers, but we haven?t decided what we're going to do yet,? Land said. ?I?ve been told we?ve had some offers.?
The company is ?balancing their options?, which may include an expansion of the neighboring Filter Plant ? but no plans are ?set in stone?.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.