Factory fallout: Manufacturing layoffs from Sublime Systems, Yokohama Tire, Cree Lighting 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.

Ashley Furniture announced it would end its manufacturing operations in Mesquite, Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News. The plant’s 266 workers ill be laid off as part of a consolidation move by the furniture company, which noted in a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission the riffed employees would be offered jobs elsewhere, including its Mesquite distribution center.

Cree Lighting announced March 12 in a WARN report it would lay off 172 workers as it closes its manufacturing operations at its headquarters in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. Layoffs are expected to begin March 13. The company’s Sturtevant location manufactured electronics and LED lighting.

Yokohama’s tire manufacturing plant in Salem, Virginia closed shop March 18, leaving 392 employees without jobs, local news station WDBJ 7 reported. According to company officials, the plant was out of date for producing in-demand tires. Closure of the plant was governed by negotiations with members of the USW Local 1023; the union and Yokohama reached a tentative agreement to close the plant February 20, and employees will continue to collect pay through March 31.

Titan International likewise announced March 18 that it would close a factory in Jackson, Tennessee in October 2026 as it looks to consolidate its off-highway wheels, tires, assembly and undercarriage manufacturing operations. The closure will leave 140 employees without work. In a statement, the company said it will provide severance, benefits continuation and job placement for the riffed employees.

Sublime Systems, a startup with aspirations to produce environmentally-friendly cement, has laid off about two thirds of its workforce after losing an $87 million grant from the Department of Energy, Bloomberg reported March 11. Though the company didn’t disclose precisely how many people the layoff affects, Bloomberg reported the company employed between 80 and 90 people beforehand. The money was expected to fund the company’s first major manufacturing facility in Holoke, Massachusetts, according to Canary Media. The company had previously landed a binding deal to purchase up to 622,500 metric tons of Sublime’s cement.