Tillsonburg, Ontario – Seating manufacturer Adient has closed its PU seating foam plant in Tillsonburg, south-western Ontario. The former Johnson Controls facility employed almost 200 people, and was shut down with minimal notice.
The plant had been in operation for more than 50 years, and just three years ago doubled its workforce to manufacture seating for Ford 150 trucks. Adient said that the foam production will now be shifted to a number of its other plants in the US.
The sudden closure has been condemned by trade union Unifor. ‘A closure like this is completely unacceptable,’ said Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president. ‘Auto parts jobs like these are vital to the future of our auto sector, particularly as the industry transitions to electric vehicle manufacturing.’
Unifor reported that workers were told the production would be moved to Adient facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee.
