Akebono Brake Corp to Permanently Close Kentucky Plant, Lay Off 450 Employees
Key Highlights
- Over 450 employees will be laid off as Akebono Brake Corp closes its Kentucky plant.
- The closure is part of a strategic reduction in U.S. operations due to declining business.
- Affected workers are being offered assistance with finding nearby jobs or retraining opportunities.
- The plant closure is scheduled for December 5, 2023, following the WARN Act requirements.
- The company announced the closure plans in October 2023, citing a strategic decision to reduce U.S. business.
Akebono Brake Corp - a car maker based in Japan - is enacting a permanent workforce reduction on Dec.5 until the closure of its car parts plant in Elizabethttown, Kentucky. As a result, over 450 employees are being laid off.
“The workforce reduction/layoffs are the result of a decline in Akebono’s U.S. Business and are expected to be permanent,” said Plant Manager Chris Cooper in the letter, as is required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act.
The company shared its closure plans in October 2023, saying that it had"“resolved to reduce the business of its U.S. subsidiary.”
The phased-out closure has allowed plant workers in finding similar jobs nearby or to obtain training to make a career switch. Once all 450 plant employees are laid off, the plant will close.
Read more at: https://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article312445417.html#storylink=cpy