AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Center Valley, Pennsylvania-based Olympus Corporation of the Americas, the iconic Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprographics products, has announced that it will be implementing a new corporate strategy designed to improve profit margins and moving the company toward the medical industry. The immediate impact of the restructuring will be felt by the headquarters IT staff, many of whom will be laid off.

According to a company spokesperson, “Toward the goal of improving efficiencies and reducing costs of our current IT system, we will be transitioning responsibility to a third-party provider for operational IT functions. In Center Valley, this will unfortunately translate into the elimination of some IT positions.”

Not so coincidentally, we find that the changes are being driven by the San Francisco, California-based activist investment company ValueAct Capital whose partner has been added to the Olympus Board.

Olympus President and CEO Yasuo Takeuchi noted, “Our new strategy is the most significant change we have undertaken in decades, and it is designed to strengthen our position as a world leader in the medtech industry.

Rumors abound that the company may shutter its under-producing imaging business could be phased out over the next year. A cautionary tale for employees working in the affected division?

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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT WELLS CONCRETE

Albany, Minnesota-based Wells Concrete, a manufacturer and installer of pre-cast concrete products, has announced that the company plans to reduce a major portion of its operations in there Grand Forks, North Dakota with layoffs commencing in late December 2019. The closure of a major portion of the plant will affect 92 employees, mostly involved in the manufacture of pre-stressed concrete products. A number of employees will remain to decommission the plant before its ultimate closure.

According to Dan Juntunen, Wells Concrete’s President and CEO, “I would say that the decision was made two weeks ago. But I would say that really it has been something we have been struggling with for about two years. Just with so much of the North Dakota economy is tied to oil and agriculture, so it has been a little bit of a hit or miss issue for us for about two years."

A company spokesperson added, “Finally we had to make a decision on what our long-term goals are going to look like here. The company will still be servicing its customers across North Dakota, Northern Minnesota and Montana and the company’s Minnesota facilities can meet its needs. We have too much capacity within our own pipeline, and all the work that we can contract, we can produce out of our three remaining facilities. This was a very hard decision that we had to make, but one that needed to be executed.”

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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT JELD-WEN (11/04/25)

NOVEMBER 4, 2025 — 850 EMPLOYEES

The company has announced a workforce reduction of approximately 850 positions in November 2025, affecting North America and corporate employees.

OCTOBER 10, 2024 — 152 EMPLOYEES IN GRINNELL, IOWA.

The company has announced it will be laying off 152 workers in Grinnell, Iowa, on November 7, 2024.

According to the company, “While these decisions are difficult, we are taking steps to simplify and strengthen the company, and meet future demand against current labor force, which includes optimizing our operations network to better compete in the market we serve.”

“We value the contributions of our employees and have provided those affected with a competitive separation package and outplacement services to help provide a smooth transition. While decisions that impact people are never easy, we make them only after careful consideration and with the understanding that our actions today are necessary to position JELD-WEN for long-term success.”

APRIL 13, 2024 — 2 CLOSURES AND 450 LAYOFFS

The company has announced that it is closing its Hawkins, Wisconsin, and Vista, California manufacturing facilities to “simplify its North American windows operations.”

The closures will impact 340 employees at the Hawkins, Wisconsin site, which manufactures wood windows, and 110 employees at the Vista, California site, which manufactures composite windows.

According to a company spokesperson, “We value the contributions of our employees and have provided those affected with a competitive separation package and outplacement services to help provide a smooth transition.”

JUNE 25, 2022 — NORTH SPRINGFIELD, VERMONT TO CLOSE

The company has announced that it is closing its North Springfield, Vermont plant and laying off over 90 workers as it consolidates operations at its Ludlow, Vermont plant.

According to a company spokesperson, the Springfield and Ludlow plants are “very similar” and consolidating the operations into a single plant is part of the ongoing, comprehensive effort to optimize our global operations.

“Through the broad deployment of our lean manufacturing principles, we have identified significant operational and cost-efficiencies by consolidating two closely located Vermont operations into our Ludlow facility.”

NOVEMBER 6, 2019 — Original post…

Klamath Falls, Oregon-based Jeld-Wen, a manufacturer of windows, patio doors, exterior and interior doors, and garage doors, has announced that it will be closing its manufacturing plant in Lexington, North Carolina, and laying off 135 employees. According to a company spokesperson, “The closure is part of our global footprint rationalization and modernization program, which is designed to build efficiencies in our network and improve service and quality for our customers,” the company said in a statement. “We have a comprehensive program in place to either retain talent or assist our employees with outplacement services as they transition from the company. The Lexington facility closure will support our value of improving daily by doing everything we can to advance the way we operate and do business.”

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?