AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT NORDSON CORPORATION

Westlake, Ohio-based Nordson Corporation. a manufacturer of dispensing equipment for consumer and industrial adhesives, sealants, and coatings, has announced the relocation of its Amherst operations to a facility in Clinton, South Carolina.

The relocation will impact 114 manufacturing employees. The layoffs will occur in stages commencing on December 6, 2024, and are expected to be completed by the end of April 2025.

According to a company spokesperson, "As initially announced on June 14, 2024, Nordson’s Industrial Coatings Systems (ICS) division has grown significantly over the past several years, outgrowing our current manufacturing footprint in Amherst, Ohio. Our business is out of space, and we are landlocked by a railroad and a residential community, making it difficult to expand manufacturing capabilities to meet our customers’ increasing needs. Our ICS manufacturing, assembly, and machining operations will move to a new Nordson facility in South Carolina, which will enable us to host all of the products currently manufactured across several buildings in Amherst into one location.

"At Nordson, we remain committed to Northeast Ohio with over 70% of our local workforce remaining in Amherst and our global headquarters in Westlake, Ohio. We greatly appreciate the commitment of our Amherst manufacturing employees and reached an agreement this summer with union leadership to provide resources that would ease the transition for impacted employees."

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 terrible 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. 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 PANERA BREAD

St Louis, Missouri-based Panera Bread, operator of a chain of bakery-café fast-casual restaurants, has announced a restructuring of its two support centers in St. Louis and Newton, Massachusetts, to streamline operations and improve efficiencies.

The reduction in force will impact an unknown number of support employees, including positions in customer care, IT, and project management.

According to CEO José Dueñas, “We have made some difficult decisions to reshape the structure of our support center teams, which includes reducing and reassigning some roles across the organization, As we evolve and grow, so must our ways of working. We need to be simpler, nimbler, and faster than ever before, operating with even more efficiency, and empowering our teams to win. We must change how we operate to remove silos and simplify leadership reporting lines to make faster decisions and drive more consistent execution. And finally, we must ensure our corporate teams are closer to our cafes, and well positioned to support and empower our General Managers, who are at the heart of our culture."

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 terrible 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. 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 LAMB WESTON HOLDINGS (07/26/25)

JULY 26, 2025 — 4% UPCOMING REDUCTION IN FORCE

The company announced in its quarterly earnings report that it intends to reduce its global workforce by 4%. The decision appears to be driven by activist investment partnership Jana Partners, which aims to shake up the struggling Idaho company.

“Cost Savings Program. The Focus to Win strategic plan includes a Cost Savings Program, which is expected to deliver at least $250 million of annualized run rate savings by the end of fiscal year 2028. Approximately $200 million of these annualized cost savings are expected by fiscal year end 2027, with approximately 75 percent of the anticipated savings benefiting gross profit and 25 percent benefiting SG&A. These cost savings include headcount reductions of approximately 4 percent of the Company's global workforce, which also reflects the elimination of certain unfilled positions.”

OCTOBER 15, 2024 — Original post…

Eagle, Idaho-based Lamb Weston Holdings, a food producer and processor of frozen french fries, waffle fries, and other frozen potato products, has announced plans to close an older, higher-cost potato processing facility in Connell, Washington, and restructure to meet the demands of a reduced business climate.

The overall impact is a 4% reduction in force that will impact 428 employees, including 379 employees located at the soon-to-be potato processing plant in Connell, Washington,

According to President and CEO Tom Werner, “To drive operational and cost efficiencies, we are taking actions that include the permanent closure of an older, higher-cost processing facility and the temporary curtailment of certain production lines and schedules in our manufacturing network. We are also taking actions to reduce operating expenses, including reducing headcount and eliminating certain unfilled job positions, as well as reducing capital expenditures.”

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 terrible 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. 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?