Meridian Automotive lays off 122 in Grabill

Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

Meridian Automotive Systems laid off 122 workers at its plant in Grabill July 2.

The Michigan-based auto supplier sent a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter to the state of Indiana on the same day it said the mass layoffs were implemented.

The federal WARN Act requires companies to provide workers either 60 days' notice or 60 days' pay in lieu of notice in the event of a mass layoff or plant closing. The company notified the state June 8 that it planned to lay off 295 workers at its Shelbyville plant, also effective July 2. Both the Shelbyville and Grabill plants manufacture reinforced plastic panels for autos and trucks.

Meridian had two operations in Grabill. In early June, it announced the sale of certain operating units of its composites business to Decoma International Corp. The deal included the lease of Meridian's Grabill sheet-molding compound facility, which is adjacent to the parts plant.

The company, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006, also has a plant in Angola. It completed the closing of its plant in Huntington at the end of January.