By Brian M. Boyce, The Tribune-Star
brian.boyce@tribstar.com
TERRE HAUTE - A local employer plans to shutter its flagship plant in Georgia and move some of that work to Clay County.
And while the mayor of Brazil said it's a severe loss for one community, she acknowledged gratitude for the work during tough times.
"I would say that I feel a little more secure, actually," Mayor Ann Bradshaw said Tuesday afternoon.
Great Dane is one of Clay County's most significant employers, she said, noting that the 300-trailer order coming up from the plant about to be closed will help keep jobs in the area.
Great Dane employs about 1,000 at the Brazil plant.
Brandie Fuller, spokeswoman for Great Dane Trailers, confirmed Tuesday the company's plan to eliminate the original "birthplace" of the organization in Savannah, Ga., effective Jan. 9, and said the Brazil plant should get a 300-trailer backlog, along with its sister plant in Wayne, Neb.
"The economy is playing a very big role, but [Savannah's] closing is more because it's during these downtimes that we get a good idea of the profitability and efficiency of these plants," she said.
The Savannah plant is the company's original facility and has not been upgraded with the others, she said, referring to it as "antiquated."
Great Dane's roots in Savannah date back to 1930 when the Savannah Blowpipe Co. began building trailers at that plant, according to the company's Web site.
"It seems a little backwards, but this is the time to do these things," she said.
The Savannah plant employs about 270, she said, adding that the 130 employees at corporate headquarters will remain.
No jobs or personnel will be transferred to either Brazil or Nebraska, but the backlogged trailers will as both plants are newer and can accommodate the load, she said.
Meanwhile, Fuller confirmed that the company's plant in Terre Haute is planning a 50 percent reduction effective Dec. 19, taking its staff to about 115, down from 450 in 2006.