DES MOINES, Iowa—The softening ag market has led Bridgestone Americas Inc. to cut back on ag tire production at its plant in Des Moines.
And the resulting moves will reduce employment at the plant by at least 118, cutting one of three manufacturing shifts in some cases in the process, according to Keenan Bell, president of United Steelworkers Local 310.
Without disclosing the number of positions affected, Bridgestone confirmed the job cuts in a statement provided to Rubber News.
"Bridgestone regularly evaluates all aspects of its business to ensure we remain competitive and resources are allocated in a manner that best supports our business strategy," the tire maker said. "We notified local United Steelworkers (USW) leadership in Des Moines that we have made the difficult decision to reduce positions due to demand constraints in the agriculture tire sector."
Bridgestone also filed a WARN notice with Iowa Workforce Development in which it indicated it will eliminate 118 jobs.
Bell said the tire maker notified the union June 5 of the job cuts, which will affect the employees with seniority of two years or less. Those cuts take effect July 5.
Bridgestone also has asked for voluntary layoffs and those could affect around 50, Bell noted.
And all of that just has to do with a difficult market.
"The economy for us has been pretty slow for more than a year now," Bell told Rubber News, noting that the majority of the tires made in Des Moines are for OE customers. "… They (Bridgestone) are in a tough situation. I do believe they thought through everything prior to doing anything (with job cuts)."
Moreover, Bell said the union and the tire maker are working amicably and closely together through the transition.
"We aim to minimize the impact on our teammates as much as possible and will continue to communicate directly with our teammates," the tire maker said. "Bridgestone is confident this move will enable us to operate more cost effectively in strengthening our business model and to deliver on our long-term growth potential."
Bell is hopeful that the ag market could recover in the coming year or two. Should that happen, the laid-off employees could be recalled.
"If business were to pick up, they would have preferential recall rights," Bell said.
Opened in 1945, Bridgestone's Des Moines facility has a rated capacity of around 4,000 tires per day, according to Rubber News data.
