AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT EDWARDS VACUUM

New York-based Edwards Vacuum, a manufacturer of vacuum pumps and exhaust gas systems for the scientific, medical, industrial, and semiconductor industries, has announced the closure of its Hillsboro, Oregon production operations.

The closure will impact 140 employees and will commence on November 15, 2025, and will continue through June 30, 2026. The company plans to retain other Hillsboro operations, including sales and customer service,

The stated reason for the closure is "changing business needs.”

According to a company spokesperson, "Edwards will consolidate production across existing Edwards manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and the U.K., making the company better positioned for the current business climate and for future growth.”

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, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES (06/12/24)

JUNE 12, 2024 — 184 CALIFORNIA EMPLOYEES

The company announced that it would lay off 184 employees, including 156 from its Santa Clara headquarters, 11 from La Jolla, seven from Carpinteria, six from San Diego, and four from Folsom.

According to a company spokesperson, “The California cuts are part of a 3% layoff “across operations and regions to adjust to the pace of recovery in the market, and Agilent would reinvest in biopharma, a group of chemicals known as PFAS (Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) and lab technology.”

JANUARY 2, 2024 — Original post…

Santa Clara, California-based Agilent Technologies, a provider of laboratory test instruments, software, services, and consumables, has announced a new restructuring plan in response to current macroeconomic conditions, which will lead to unspecified site closures and layoffs.

The reduction in force is said to be 2% or approximately 400 employees. Layoffs will commence in the first quarter of 2024 and to be substantially complete by the end of the fiscal year 2024.

An Agilent spokesperson noted, “While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary to ensure Agilent’s long-term success and competitiveness.”

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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 THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC (02/18/25)

FEBRUARY 18, 2025 — 300 EMPLOYEES

On March 30, 2025, the company will lay off 300 workers at its viral vector manufacturing facilities in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Plainville, Massachusetts. This is in addition to 160 layoffs previously announced in November 2024.

According to a company spokesperson, “We remain committed to supporting our customers’ continued innovation and advancement of medicine to improve patient care worldwide through our viral vector services network. The job reductions are part of a broader, multiyear effort to improve the company’s efficiency.”

APRIL 4, 2024 — CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA LAYOFFS

Continuing with its restructuring and cost-cutting initiative, the company has announced that it will be laying off an unknown number of employees at its plasmid DNA manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, California. The layoffs are scheduled for May 31, 2024. The decision was said to be driven by declining business conditions.

The layoffs follow the planned July 2024 closure of the company’s manufacturing facility for pipette tips, microcentrifuge tubes, and racks located in Petaluma, California which will see 74 employees laid off.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 — Original post…

Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientific, a supplier of laboratory instruments, equipment, chemicals, and services, has announced the closure of two sites in Alachua, Florida.

The closures will impact 205 employees beginning on October 9, 2023, and continue through March 31, 2024.

A company spokesperson noted, "We believe that leveraging our global network to provide multiple capabilities, including process development, analytical development, and clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing, in one location will help our customers deliver gene therapies to market faster."

"Therefore, as part of our viral vector services (VVS) strategy, we’re relocating the development, manufacturing, and production activities that we currently perform in Alachua, Florida, to our new Plainville, Massachusetts site."

"Our science and technology innovation work will remain in Alachua and we will continue to offer viral vector services at our sites in Cambridge, Lexington & Plainville, MA as well as Seneffe & Gosselies, Belgium."

Decisions that impact colleagues and their families are never taken lightly."

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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?