Manufacturing facility to close
More than 300 jobs will be lost by June
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Cummins Filtration will close in June and eliminate more than 300 local jobs.

More than 300 local workers will lose their jobs when one of Burke County's largest employers closes next month.

Cummins Filtrations, formerly known as Fleetguard, will close the doors on its manufacturing facility in Waynesboro by June, according to an announcement made by company officials last Friday.

The facility, which manufactures exhaust sys- tems and structural frame parts for small engines, employs some 250 fulltime employees and around 80 temporary workers.

Company officials said that continued losses in the small engine and recreational vehicle (SERV) segment are to blame.

"We are extremely disappointed to have to take these steps," Cummins Filtration President Pamela Carter stated in a news release. "Our actions are in no way a reflection of the performance or commitment of our employees in Waynesboro and throughout the SERV business, who have worked to turn this business around."

According to spokesperson Mark Land, the company has been losing ground for several years and will not relocate the business.

"It's a piece of business that we have tried very hard to make profitable for the past three or four years, but it hasn't worked," he said, adding that the company moved work from another plant to Waynesboro in an effort to turn a profit here.

According to Land, the company will maintain all 250 employees until the closing and will offer them an incentive to stay until production is completed.

After the closing, fulltime employees will receive a severance package based on their length of service. Outplacement assistance will also be offered.

A release from Cummins stated the company was committed to maintaining the facility in Waynesboro while "it actively pursues a buyer."

Jerry Long, executive director of the Burke County Development Authority said that the authority will work with the Georgia Department of Economic Development to attract an industry to occupy the facility and will also work closely with the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Labor to help those who lose their jobs.

The Cummins facility opened in 2003 under the name Fleetguard, which later changed to Cummins Filtrations. Previously, the facility was owned by Kwikset, a division of Black and Decker, and employed around 675 people.

Kwikset later moved the operation to China, according to Long. It was the last Burke County industry to close.

The development authority extended a seven-year tax abatement to Cummins Filtrations when they opened up shop in Waynesboro.