Automotive supplier Forvia is planning to close its seating plant in Highland Park, Mich., and lay off 511 employees in the latest round of job cuts.
The company expects the permanent layoffs to be complete around Sept. 23, according to a WARN notice filed with the state, dated July 17.
The layoffs will be in the just-in-time department and constitute a plant closure, the notice said.
The company, which changed its name from Faurecia last year after a merger with Hella, notified the state last December that it would be eliminating 268 jobs at the plant. Waymon Halty, vice president at UAW Local 155 representing the employees, said at the time those cuts were the result of the company moving the metals division to Mexico to reduce costs.
An explanation for the plant closure was not provided by the company, though it looks to coincide with a loss of business. The plant supplies seats for the Jeep Wagoneer program at Stellantis’ Warren Truck Assembly Plant. Southfield-based Lear Corp. said in an earnings presentation in April that it won a conquest award to supply complete seats for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer launching in late 2023.
Halty could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. A UAW representative said he was in labor negotiations.
Crain’s Detroit Business also left a message with a spokeswoman from Forvia and with Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald.
The Highland Park plant has had troubles outside of just production issues. In December, an argument inside the plant spilled out into the parking lot and resulted in a shooting that left one man dead. In 2021, an employee allegedly threatened to blow up the plant.
The shooting last year prompted the company and union to offer counseling and mentoring services to employees, and it brought to the forefront the issue of declining morale on the factory floor.