Federal Mogul to add 160 jobs in Manitowoc

Piston ring plant's planned 2011 closure is blow to Schofield, boost to Lakeshore

By: Chalie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — The decision by Federal Mogul Powertrain Systems to close a plant in Schofield by March 2011 will result in 160 jobs being added to the company's piston ring facility in Manitowoc, a spokesman for the Southfield, Mich.-based manufacturer, said Tuesday.

More than 200 employees will lose their jobs at the Federal Mogul plant near Wausau, said Jim Burke, corporate communications director.

"Some of those in Schofield, depending on the skills required, will have the opportunity to transfer to Manitowoc," Burke said. "It is difficult to quantify how many will be willing to transfer."

Burke said the Manitowoc plant, which has manufactured millions of piston rings monthly for heavy-duty diesel engines, does not have any employees on layoff.

"Those people with recall rights have been recalled," Burke said. "There will be added jobs coming to Manitowoc … about 160."

In April 2009, a Federal Mogul official said the Manitowoc plant had laid off 103 people. Three months earlier, the official had said the plant had 580 workers. Burke said Tuesday the Manitowoc plant has 375 employees.

Poor automobile sales over the past few years and Federal Mogul's need to be more efficient were the reasons for the Schofield plant's closure, Burke said.

"We had capacity at Manitowoc to be able to take the majority" of the work performed in Schofield, Burke said. "We looked at a number of different locations, and Manitowoc seemed to make the most sense."

Schofield's production workers have union representation, while Manitowoc's do not, Burke said.
He said the planned March 2011 plant closure is "in no way a reflection of the Schofield community, or the skills and commitment of the people at that facility."

About 30 of the 200 employees in Schofield are management, and the rest are hourly workers.

Most of the employees will work for the next several months to fill existing orders for customers before they are let go, Burke said.

He said the Schofield plant, about 130 miles northwest of Manitowoc, has produced piston rings for the light-duty automotive market and for use in small engines.

Bringing that work to the Lakeshore-area plant, "will broaden the piston ring portfolio for Manitowoc," Burke said.

Federal Mogul is a global supplier of products to manufacturers of automotive, light commercial, heavy-duty and off-highway vehicles, as well as businesses in power generation, aerospace, marine and rail industries.

With sales of about $5 billion annually, Federal Mogul has 41,000 employees in 33 countries.

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