Daido Metal Co. Ltd. (Japan) has formally shut down its thinwall engine bearing plant in Bellefontaine, Ohio, "due to business conditions." The plant's last day was July 1.
Approximately 300 workers were on the rolls when Daido made the plant closing announcement, although only 150 were actively employed. The others remained active in a now-pointless two-year strike over contract issues.
A letter from Daido management to the employees' United Auto Workers union explained Bellefontaine, "has been operating at a loss for the past three years," with accumulated losses expected to top $60 million this year.
Not only has demand from key bearing customers declined, the factory also lost raw strip sales when MAHLE announced the closing of its nearby Caldwell, Ohio engine bearing plant. Caldwell was shuttered just last week.
Covering over 210,000 square feet and located approximately 45 miles northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Bellefontaine has always produced thinwall bearings, components, and strip. OEM engine bearings and aftermarket bearings have been marketed under the Daido and Clevite brand. Strip produced there had been used by other, formerly related, bearing plants in McConnelsville and Caldwell, Ohio; Atlantic, Iowa; and other facilities.
OEM bearing customers included Honda's engine plant in Anna, Ohio, Nissan's engine plant in Smyrna, Tennessee and Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky. Bellefontaine's profitability, however, was reportedly tightly tied to its aftermarket sales volume rather than OEM sales.
Approximately 50 workers will remain on site to finish the shutdown and start converting the space to a warehouse and distribution facility.
As a warehouse for Daido Metal USA, Bellefontaine will probably employ fewer than 20 workers.
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