Nearly 150 people stand to lose their jobs when the Eaton Corp. closes its plant in Stephens County in early 2021, but company and government officials hope to minimize resulting unemployment.
“This announcement by Eaton is indeed a sad one,” said Tim Martin, executive director of the Stephens County Development Authority. “They’ve been in our community almost 40 years. In talking to the plant manager, he mentioned that due to national and international economic conditions, this local plant will be closing.”
Eaton Corporation PLC (public limited company) was founded in the United States with corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and operational headquarters in Beachwood, Ohio. Eaton employs some 95,000 people and sells its products to customers in more than 175 countries.
“The decision to close the Toccoa, Ga., facility by the end of the first quarter of 2021 is the result of not being able to sustain growth at the facility in previous years, which only becomes more challenging given the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and anticipated recovery period for the aerospace industry,” said Katie Kennedy, manager of communications for the Aerospace Group of Eaton. “The Toccoa facility, which manufactures aircraft components, joined Eaton in 1999 and employs approximately 140 people.”
Martin said once the Stephens County plant is closed, plans are to market the land and building.
“We remain committed to acting with care and concern for all employees who will be impacted by the closure of our Toccoa, Ga., facility,” Kennedy said. “It’s important to note that the decision to close the facility is not a reflection on our employees in Toccoa who have worked very hard over the years to meet our customers’ needs, and advanced notice of the site closure is being given to employees so they may consider options and plan for the future. All eligible employees will be offered Eaton’s severance package, which includes outplacement services.”
Similarly, Martin said the Georgia Department of Labor, Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce and Stephens County Development Authority will work with displaced workers.
“I know several of our other existing industries have reached out to Eaton and offered to discuss hiring the workers as they become available,” Martin said. “David Warnell of U.S. Sen. Loeffler’s office and Andrew Seaver of U.S. Sen. Perdue’s office have called to offer coordination with any federal programs that may be helpful to the local workforce.”
Kennedy said other Eaton facilities in the state, including those in Athens and in the Atlanta area, are not affected by the closure.
“We do have other Eaton facilities in northern Georgia that manufacture vehicle and electrical products which are unaffected by the closure,” Kennedy said.
