Stanley Black & Decker is pulling the plug on its lone Middle Tennessee facility in Gallatin, a move that will affect 116 workers and wipe out the company’s manufacturing footprint in Sumner County.
The Gallatin plant has been turning out plastic parts and other components used across the company’s tools and outdoor product lines. On Thursday, the company confirmed the closure and the number of impacted employees to the Nashville Business Journal, which also reported that this is Stanley Black & Decker’s only operation in Middle Tennessee.
Company Ties Move to Cost-Cutting Push
The shutdown is part of a broader belt-tightening effort the company has been rolling out over several years. In a Feb. 4 investor release, Stanley Black & Decker described restructuring charges and a series of “footprint actions” and cost-reduction measures aimed at lowering debt and improving profitability.
Another Plant on the Chopping Block
The Gallatin decision fits a wider pattern. The company has already announced the planned closure of its New Britain, Conn., factory, a move that will cut roughly 300 jobs, according to CT Insider. Local coverage there has tied that shutdown to declining demand for certain tape-measure products and reported that a WARN notice was filed with state labor officials.
What It Means for Gallatin Workers
Stanley Black & Decker has been listed for years among Gallatin’s industrial employers, with the Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association’s county profile identifying the operation as a local plastic-injection molder. With the plant now slated to close, affected workers will be eligible for state dislocated-worker services and Rapid Response assistance. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development outlines how WARN notices and Rapid Response programs function in cases of mass layoffs and plant closures.
Details are still thin. It was not immediately clear when the Gallatin plant will shut its doors for good or whether Stanley Black & Decker will offer transfers or severance to local employees. The Nashville Business Journal reported that the company communicated the closure decision directly to the paper. As of publication time, city and county economic development officials had not issued public statements on the loss of the facility.
