3M to slash 240 jobs

Announcement is latest in series of cuts.
By KEVIN COLEMAN of the Tribune’s staff
Published Thursday, September 27, 2007

3M announced today that as many as 240 employees, or about half of the workers at the Columbia plant, will lose their jobs in the coming months.
Don Shrubshell photo

The 3M plant informed workers this morning that as many as 240 employees, or about half the staff, will be laid off before next summer.

It’s the latest layoff announcement at the north Columbia plant at 5400 Paris Road, long considered a shining star among Mid-Missouri manufacturers for its high-paying, skilled technology jobs. When the layoffs are complete at the end of June, the company will employ only about a quarter of the workers it did less than a decade ago.

Local managers began notifying employees this morning.

"This is a very difficult decision, and there were hardworking folks that got some hard news today," Plant Manager David Robinson told the Tribune this morning. "We wish them the very best of luck as they continue their careers, either with other opportunities in the company or in the community. And we’ll support those employees through those transitions."

The layoff affects about 200 hourly workers and 40 salaried positions. Severance packages will be provided based on length of service and other factors, Robinson said, but he declined to disclose details.

Robinson also declined to elaborate about the timing of the job cuts, saying only that there would be a "major impact by the end of the year." He blamed a continued soft market for the plant’s line of electronic flexible circuits used in inkjet printers and wireless phones. The company plans to consolidate the manufacture of those products at 3M plants in Canoga Park, Calif., and overseas in Singapore, according to a news release.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of job cuts late last year in which 46 production workers were laid off and continues a downward trend of employment at the local 3M plant. Employment at the plant peaked in the late 1990s at more than 1,000 workers. The latest round will leave the company with about 260 employees.

Rumors had swirled throughout the week that another round of layoffs was looming. The Tribune received several anonymous e-mail and telephone messages from employees who said they could see the signs, including one woman who heard a manager say, "This is going to be a very bad week."

Employees leaving the parking lot this morning were reluctant to talk, and a company security guard walked over and provided a phone number for reporter inquiries. Nobody lost their jobs today, but one employee told the Tribune he also knew the layoff was coming.

"I’ve been sweatin’ all week," said a 12-year employee who did not want his name used. "I haven’t slept more than two hours this week."

The man said he has a job until the end of November and would "like to keep it," explaining why he didn’t want his name in the paper.

"They didn’t call it a ‘layoff,’ " he said. "They called it a ‘severance.’ As much as I hate it, I think they did it pretty decent. They could’ve just said, ‘You’re out.’ "

The Columbia 3M plant, which opened in 1970, is part of the company’s electronics division, headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Robinson said that there are no plans to close the 380,000-square-foot facility and that there is a ray of sunshine as growth is planned for its line of electronic connectors used for data and communication applications and radio frequency identification tags. "The connectors business will grow, and we’ll invest additional resources," he said. "That should be good news for Columbia as we increase the volumes."

3M, based in St. Paul, Minn., manufactures a variety of consumer and industrial products, including Scotch tape, Post-it notes and industrial products for the health-care and telecommunications industries. While the Columbia plant is struggling, the worldwide corporation has posted solid financial results. Last year, the company earned $4 billion on sales of nearly $23 billion. During the past year, the company’s stock price has ranged from $72.90 to $92.94. It closed yesterday near its 52-week high at $92.54.

Reach Kevin Coleman at (573) 815-1709 or kcoleman@tribmail.com.

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