Franklin Electric announces plant consolidation plan

Bluffton, IN— Franklin Electric Inc. reports that it’s planning to consolidate the submersible turbine pump operations of Madison, WI-based FE Petro Inc. with the service station hardware and flexible piping operations of EBW Inc. and Advanced Polymer Technology Inc., presently located in Muskegon, MI, into a new leased facility in Madison.

Ninety-four employees at the Muskegon facilities will be affected by the consolidation. Workforce reductions are anticipated to begin in May with the consolidation completed by July 2004.

Costs of the consolidation are included in a previously disclosed $10-million, pre-tax estimate for the firm’s multi-year, global manufacturing realignment. Based on its current plans, more than half of these incremental costs will be recognized as incurred in the last three quarters of 2004 with the balance recognized, as incurred, in the first three quarters of 2005.

Scott Trumbull, Franklin’s chairman and CEO, says that, ‘With the strengthening sales, substantial improvement in margins and integration of INCON completed, we believe that the move into this new facility is appropriate,” says Scott Trumbull, Franklin’s chairman and CEO. “In addition to the advantages of improving customer service levels, increasing efficiencies, enhancing product development effectiveness and reducing overhead costs; the new fueling systems facility will provide a unique opportunity for end-users, distributors and contractors to receive state-of-the-art training and technical assistance for the petroleum industry’s broadest range of underground fueling systems products.’

Franklin Electric reports that it’s a technical leader in electric motors, drives and controls, is the world’s largest manufacturer of submersible water and fueling systems motors, a manufacturer of underground fueling systems hardware and flexible piping systems and a leader in engineered industrial motor products.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com

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