Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Wednesday there have been more unemployment claims filed in the past four weeks than in the last two years.
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Deceuninck North America (DNA) senior employee relations manager Jamie Miller wrote to the state the 108 permanent and 125 temporary layoffs are necessary "due to the sudden and unexpected circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak."
Announced layoffs to the state usually come with a 60-day notice, but the Monroe company indicated in the April 13 letter the layoffs would take effect Wednesday, according to Deceuninck’s letter to Ohio JFS.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brings many unanticipated changes, however, DNA will continuously evaluate its expected return date (of laid-off employees) and will notify employees as soon as practicable of any return date changes,” Miller wrote to the state.
Deceuninck North America President & CEO Filip Geeraert said the company has “quickly entered a new reality” over the past few weeks, “the duration of which is unclear.”
“The new and unprecedented demands that social distancing and other protective measures have placed on our operations and facility management, combined with a severe decline in order intake, led us to take these actions,” he said.
Deceuninck officials expect the temporarily laid-off employees “to return when normal business resumes.” The company, however, did not state which jobs will be reinstated, but according to the WARN Act letter, more than 102 were extrusion specialists and 49 were lamination operators.
Economists expect a post-pandemic rebound but are not yet certain what kind, said Rick Pearce, CEO and president of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middleton, Monroe and Trenton.
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“They don’t know whether it’s going to be U-shaped or V-shaped,” he said. “We didn’t really have problems with the economy prior to all this, it was rolling along really well.”
The announcement comes six months after Deceuninck North America (DNA) celebrated its 50th anniversary, and touted its growth in recent years. Geeraert said the company acted swiftly based on the reduction in sales versus the size of the organization. The layoffs equate to a 30 percent force reduction, according to the company. Company officials said with their 650-plus employees anticipated a strong 2020.
The company added 200 jobs from 2013 to 2018, with more than a third coming at the start of 2018 thanks to a 2017 job-creation tax credit designed to help fund expansion projects.
Deceuninck North America is a design, compounding, tooling, and PVC extrusion company that produces energy-efficient vinyl window and door systems and composite applications for the building and construction industry.
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