Rothbury, Michigan-based Barber Steel Foundry, a division of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania-based Wabtec Corporation and a specialist in steel castings used in railroads and other industrial applications, has announced that they will be ceasing operations and permanently closing their foundry by the end of 2019. The closing will affect 61 employees. A company spokesperson noted that the decision was driven by “declining business conditions and the plant’s closure would help simplify and optimize Wabtec’s manufacturing footprint in today’s cyclical environment and better position the company for success.”
In February 2019 GE merged its Transportation Division with Wabtec in $11 billion deal and earlier this year (August 2019) started selling their Wabtec shares in Wabtec in a public offering that does not benefit Wabtec. Both GE’s locomotive and power units have had severe declines in the past year. Wabtec Corporation itself was formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Company and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?