Can confirm the Detroit plant received shut down notice. Any other plants?
22 replies (most recent on top)
Never thought that plant would shut down. Company is run by id--ts. They shut down a few makers in 2004 and couldn’t keep up with demand and had to build a new plant (M9)
@af only have to cross the street in Tonawanda, they put up a fence, for reasons…
bill brown striking down the manufacturing teams one after another! hire some more friends to put $250,000 in their pockets yearly bill!!! im sure they love the bonuses too!
@th yes, non union
Non-Union Plant?
well duh, allz the plants need to do is open product development labs and hire sales and marketing team. All the warehousing can be done in the empty buildings at Maplewood. This isn’t rocket 🚀 surgery people!
@k8 I worked in manufacturing as well as formulations and packaging. Our job was simple and threefold.
Work safely and environmentally responsible (didnt work with PFAS in my career so we did).
Produce to plan. Ship on time (we don't control the delivery after it leaves our facility). As needed, have improvement plans to increase capacity.
Maintain a competitive COGS and find additional ways to reduce costs (waste reduction, etc.).
Any SVP who expected Detroit to grow (more sales) on its own without marketing pushing for more sales and research finding better products for the customers (which the facility would then adapt) is a blithering id--t!
No wonder the share price has stalled and may decay back into the 120s.
BB appears to be out of ideas, other than hiring more of his cronies.
Time to dump what you have left in GESPP even at a loss.
What would McKnight say about this cluster eff.
@jz very interesting so essentially Detroit was on the chopping block regarding from the get go once they closed Atherstone because of not being able to lose another disc plant. From what it seems like they wanted more product to run and more people to be hired to fulfill positions that were vacant for some time. Looks like it wouldn’t have mattered regardless. Sad sad sad.
SVP telling a plant to prove a growth plan is about the most back a$$wards thing I’ve heard in all my years. Says a ton about who knows nothing.
I'm aware of Detroit and a few other cases, but not all of them. Detroit, London, and Atherstone were all under review simultaneously due to overcapacity in the coated abrasives portfolio. Atherstone went first, then after that decision they could not lose another disc plant, so Detroit goes and London stays.
Before anyone asks about M10/Hefei, it would not be seriously considered because the capital write-off to shut it down would be immense (~ $60M), even though it is, by far, the worst performing factory in the entire portfolio.
the SVP has been asking plants to establish the "Site management plan SMP". those sites who are unable to have a convincing growth story would be placed under the chopping board. this has been on going right now and heard there is a x% target for plant closures yearly
@af does a site with a strategic review normally have something special to it that makes it that way? Like low volume in making product or stuff like downtime within the plant? Or is it just like a corporate thing that’s completely out of that sites control?
Unfortunate that more hard working people are getting let go because of a corporate restructuring reign that since the beginning of it has cause nothing but people losing jobs and less volume in consumer sales.
I work at the 3M plant Detroit, I can confirm it is closing down by the end of the year.
Is this true that the Detroit plant is shutting down I can’t find any information on this only the Fairmont plant shutting down?
@OP Hardly surprising though as AAD is such a disaster these days, horrible market and weak leadership
How many jobs have/will get slashed from that 3M office building across the street in Livonia from Dave and busters? Or is that totally detached from the Detroit plant.
3M Fairmont, MN closing. Approximately 86 people getting let go.
@af
Friday beers anyone?
Detroit isn't that heavy on consumer. They are mostly mix of Wet-or-dry, including AAD volume, and some niche heavy belts. Detroit has been under strategic review with special NDAs for at least 5 years.
Detroit jumbo volume will likely get split up mostly between Alexandria and London. This volume bump might even save London. Converting I'd bet is headed to Juarez.
Sorry for the Detroit team, also sorry that there won't be a 3M plant anymore that shares a parking lot with a strip club.
Wow- Detroit is heavy for the bulk of Abrasive sheet manufacturing- both for automotive (silicon carbide sheets), and belt material for floor finishing and lower cost coarse grit products ( things stuff like you would find at ace hardware and do it best ). Clearly they are abandoning the consumer ( maybe thru Amazon ), but 3M su-ks at delivering on time, communication and anything that is really important to consumers and users! Good luck!
When was Detroit notified? Sorry to hear this. Detroit is a heavy grit abrasive plant is my understanding. That’s two plants this month given notice. Fairmont, now Detroit.