Factory Fallout: Manufacturing layoffs from 3M, Polaris, Thermo Fisher, and more

With political winds changing and global markets tightening, manufacturers are making tough decisions—and workers are feeling the impact. In this roundup, we chronicle the closures and cutbacks reverberating throughout the manufacturing sector. As uncertainty becomes the new normal, we examine how businesses and workers alike are navigating a rapidly changing industrial landscape.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced it would lay off 63 manufacturing employees to the New Hampshire Department of Labor earlier this month, according to reporting from local newspaper Valley News. The company plans to keep its Newport, New Hampshire firearm factory open despite the cuts, according to the New Hampshire Department of Labor’s general counsel. The location is responsible for most of the company’s revolver production as well as some of its pistol and rifles.

Whirlpool Corp. announced it would lay off 341 employees at its Amana, Iowa refrigerator factory, local news site CBS 2 Iowa reported. In a WARN report filed with the state, the company indicated it would begin laying off workers on March 9. The company had previously planned to lay off 651 employees as of June 2025, but reduced that figure later that year, state records indicated. In comments to CBS 2, a spokesperson said it would be unlikely any employees would be recalled, but that union employees would maintain recall rights based on seniority.

Grouper Acquisition Company, LLC, which operates as Dura-Shiloh Industries, announced in a WARN report filed with the state of Michigan that it would close its Comstock Township, Michigan factory by March 31 and lay off 160 employees. The company designs and produces automotive parts, including enclosures for enclosures for electric-vehicle batteries.

Dura-Shiloh Industries also announced it would lay off 172 workers from its Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping plant in Goshen, Indiana, according to a WARN report there filed February 2, as it plans to close the site permanently on March 31. A Chicago-area law firm, Strauss & Borrelli PLLC, subsequently announced they would independently investigate if Dura-Shiloh had failed to properly warn employees within the 60 days’ notice required by the WARN Act.

3M plans to close down its factory in Fairmont, Minnesota, according to Martin County Economic Development and local news source KEYC. The economic development group said the closure will lead to layoffs for 80 employees at the site, which KEYC notes is one of the largest employers in Fairmont. A company spokesperson told the news site 3M plans to close the plant by early 2027 to improve 3M’s supply chain efficiency.