Share On Social
Briggs & Stratton Closing 2 Wisconsin Plants
Briggs & Stratton Corp. announced a plan to close its Jefferson and Watertown, Wis. manufacturing facilities in fiscal 2010. The power products segment facilities currently manufacture all portable generator, home standby generator and pressure washer products marketed and sold by the company. Briggs officials said the job reductions will occur by the end of the year and are partly the result of poor market conditions and a need to consolidate production at its factories.
About 100 salaried employees in Jefferson will be offered jobs at other Briggs locations, including Wauwatosa. Production at the Jefferson plant will be moved to other Briggs factories, including plants in Alabama and Georgia. The Jefferson facility will be sold, said Laura Timm, a company spokeswoman.
Outside the U.S., Briggs has benefited from low-cost manufacturing plants it opened in the Czech Republic and China. The Czech plants serve Briggs’ European market, including fast-growing Eastern European countries. According to some reports, Briggs has resisted moving all its manufacturing plants overseas because the U.S. plants can reportedly build an engine with 30 minutes of labor, making them very efficient. Having plants in the U.S. also gives the company a competitive advantage in being able to respond to U.S. hurricanes, snowstorms and other power-related emergencies.
Latest News
AriensCo Acquires German Manufacturer AS-Motor
AriensCo has announced the acquisition of Germany-based AS-Motor, effective May 3, 2021. The move complements AriensCo’s strategic international growth plans. AS-Motor is a third-generation family-run enterprise and has been a quality manufacturer of professional mowing…
GIE+EXPO 2021 Returns in Person; Registration is Open
Registration is open, and plans are underway for GIE+EXPO to bring the industry back together in person October 20-22, at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Online registration, available at gie-expo.com, is only $20 through September 9.…
EDA Announces New Government Relations, General Counsel
The Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) and its regional affiliate members welcome Joshua (Josh) Evans. He joins EDA on May 1 as Vice President of Government Relations and General Counsel. Evans is an experienced litigator practicing…